Out of the Flames
by gaaras.sand.blackforest
Summary: Sequel to Into the Fire. Grandmaster ff where Wei Wuxian returns to his past via the tiger seal. In this story, I'll cover the mastermind setting WWx up, the Jin sect problems, and fill out the romantic relationship between WWx and LZ. No extreme personality changes but definite AU. I will focus on remaining consistent within the story. Please leave reviews, they inspire me!
1. Out of the Flames

A soft breeze drifted lazily over the ever-black dominating the landscape of Burial Mound. "Lan Zhan." Wei Ying said, licking his lips. A flutter in his stomach made him pause before he continued. It was not his style to speak on his feelings and this was doubly the case of Lan Wangji. Yet, when they were alone, they could more or less be honest with each other. "I am a little nervous. I'm honestly not sure how to say what I need to say. But, um, I feel like right now I need the reassurance. It may sound ridiculous for a man to say this, but I _want_ to marry. I want to be part of a family. I want to give A-Yaun the stability of a family, even an unconventional one, even if others disparage us for it!" He sighed, fumbling with the hems of his sleeves. "I honestly cannot tolerate being with anyone else nor will there be any other child for me."

He waited as patiently as he could for the response. Talk of marriage had, at first, been nothing more than a joke. Yet after some time to think about it, Wei Ying had felt there was nothing wrong with it. It was a ritual, something to say and swear to, to show off to others. That 'this one is mine' and 'I belong to that one!'.

They had put it off for a while now due to difficulties with the other sects and even with Lan Qi Ren. He was simply an obstinate fellow not truly intolerant. Even now, the demonic path was regarded as evil by many and there were often small skirmishes as a result. That he taught anyone at all the basic techniques of cultivating yin energy had inspired some but more found it disagreeable. His relationship with another man had caused some to treat him as a woman, too, which had caught him entirely off guard. There had been a few hilarious situations arising from this and a few extremely serious incidents.

All of them had dragged out his most important people, not always nicely, and he would never forgive that!

His people were flourishing, though.

Wen Qing was still a single and independent woman, moving all over the place to treat the seriously ill or injured. She went to the larger night hunts to make her skills available to all the Sects. She wore only a plain white robe with a red sash. White for the spirit and red for human blood. There were still people who hated the sight of her but the majority of the Sect Leaders cast their protections over her because they knew she was valuable. Her literary works were first-rate and had pushed others to take up medical cultivation as their path, leading to more lives being saved.

Wen Ning was already married and expecting his first child now.

Lan Zhan took it in. His eyes wavered somewhat. Then he nodded once. Indeed, small blushes appeared on his cheeks. "I have never been truly against it." He stated. "You will not regret this? You are desired by many. More women would accept your offer than one could count on their fingers." He said this openly as they were definitely alone.

It was a lie that Lan Wangji was unable to put two words together.

"Yes, but they are only awestruck." Wei Ying replied, with a sigh. "I won't deny that I think girls are cute. But, then, I think Wen Ning is cute. I don't think about him like that, though." He shrugged. "There was never such a person for me so I can't regret it. You are the only one that has been with me through everything." He looked down, aware that when he said it, it was much more dark and depressing than Lan Zhan could understand. Even now, his reincarnated self held the memories of another life...a life in which he had met an unpleasant end, no less. "Yes, and I know that you will be with me right up until I die. That's enough for me."

The blushes on Lan Zhan's cheeks became a little darker. "Hm."

"Then I will put on a red dress and amuse you." Wei Ying said, wiggling his shoulders flirtatiously. He had come to understand that Lan Zhan liked it when he flittered around and played up to him, yet he had never gotten the impression Lan Zhan would rather he was female. Such petty things as gender had no meaning when they had literally been through the worst of times.

If any other couple could compare to almost being eaten alive by a turtle, Wei Ying would kowtow nine times and take their surname!

Getting up from the shady spot, Wei Ying shivered and rested his hand on the trunk of a tree. Sometimes he grew lightheaded upon standing. He was taken into strong, gentle arms. They stayed that way for a long time, too, but then Lan Zhan picked him up. They shared a room most nights but had only recently become intimate. As if it had been the right time for it. Wei Ying was comfortable with their current habits and snuggled up to him.

He wanted to share his happiness with his important people, though. Yanli had married as he had known she would. To Jin Zixuan. He was a lucky bastard if ever there was one. His life had also been saved due to the Stygian Tiger Seal's time-trick. Jiang Fangmian was the type that just smiled when others were happy so his relationship with a man had been no different. Madam Yu still did not speak to him but she had not said anything to disparage them, either. Cheng...was confused in many ways. He was struggling to find his own path and build his adult life and that included the possibility of marriage. Of course, it could not be rushed or forced. So talk of relationships at all was hard for him.

Thinking it would be interesting to hear Yanli's frank advice on how to hold a wedding for two guys, Wei Ying decided to visit her. Jing Ling was a little rowdy these days and it would be good for Yuan to get a taste of being an elder brother. So he packed up the toddler and took Wen Ning and Lan Zhan on a meandering tour of Yiling. They ate out, bought stuff for Wen Ning's new house, and doted on the mischievous six-year-old until he was quite rotten.

Wei Ying typically avoided the Qionqi Road. He had terrible memories of the place that he could not share with others. From when he had awoken in his past body in the sealed turtle cave, he had understood he was taking the hardest path. Although things had worked out, there was still some worry that everything would go up in flames and he would end up alone.

Looking over at Wen Ning, he could not help but smile smugly. He was alive! He was a living man, not a zombie! He was going to be a father! And by his side was Lan Zhan; they were going to get married, be a family. A-Yuan had asked for them to be his parents and as Old Granny had finally passed away, Wei Ying had accepted. But only if he had the surname Lan. He was afraid that if the child had his surname, he would become even more of a target than he already was, and Lan Zhan had accepted that rational without questioning it. He had even brought him a forehead ribbon with the cloud motif and given him a public name!

It was a truly wonderful feeling.

Which was why it cut him through his very soul when he heard Wen Ning scream. It was the cry of a man who was shocked and in pain rather than of fear. Whipping around, Wei Ying saw that Wen Ning was bleeding from his shoulder and his mouth. An arrow was stuck into his back. Another thudded into his body and he collapsed onto his hands and knees, staring at the ground. A large gout of blood came out of his mouth as he hacked.

"Noooo!" Wei Ying screamed, throwing his hands out toward him, darkness leaping out and surrounding him.

Above, archers rose and focused on them. They were Jin Zixun's gaggle of insurgents, dead-set on making life harder for everyone. Wei Ying knew there was the possibility of more to it. In this place, someone had come to attack him. He had tried so hard to avoid it and here it was, happening despite several years difference in the time-line! He turned his eyes around frantically, looking for the source of it.

Jin Zixun came out, his pudgy, ugly face obnoxious as usual. He pointed dramatically. "Scoundrel! I have you now! Shoot them! Throw them into the ravine!"

Gritting his teeth, Wei Ying pulled Chongqing from his belt but he did not lift it to his lips. The seal on his hands burned and itched as the Tiger Seal woke up slowly. He had not used it in almost a year so it was basically dormant. Yet as soon as he called on the resentment it woke up and turned its attention on his target.

"You!" Wei Ying shouted at him. "What are you saying I've done now?" His heart was beating painfully in his chest as he waited for a response. This welp did not know how to lie properly so what he said was likely what he actually believed. And that could be quite telling even if it was not the truth.

"You cursed me! I killed some of your guest cultivators a while back and you dragged me to Carp Tower. You humiliated me in front of my uncle and sect leader, my cousins, and everyone in the cultivation world! I spent an entire year imprisoned because of you! But as though that was not enough, now you seek my death in this disgusting way?!" He pulled his robe aside to reveal as chest malted with small holes and swollen veins. "I will kill you and the curse will stop there!"

"Again." Wei Ying narrowed his eyes at this and gritted his teeth. "Jin Zixun, it is not I who has cursed you! Someone else, someone working behind the scenes, has done this thing!" He said it clearly and distinctly. "I have no control over it and my death will not save your life!"

"_Lies_!" Jin Zixun shouted, lifting his hands to signal the archers. "Shoot them! Shoot them!"

Turning to look at Lan Zhan, Wei Ying saw that he was fine. One strum from his zither and the arrows all went wild. One blow from Bichen and they were rendered unable to get up. He did not kill anyone, though, and he understood they were operating until a falsehood. The difficulty was that Wen Ning had been shot. Wei Ying cast his attention to Wen Ning; he had not gotten up and had his arms out to either side in a ridiculous posture.

He was protecting A-Yuan with his body!

With two arrows in his back, he could not transition easily from one pose to another. A-Yuan was silent as he lay on his back, looking up at Wen Ning. This was his cousin and an adult. A-Yuan knew what death was, knew what blood from the mouth meant. He understood totally that people were trying to kill them. That, yet again, people had come to take everyone away from him. He looked to the side as four Jin clansmen came down the wall of the ravine with darkness banishing talismans. A-Yuan recognised their robes, he had seen them before. They pulled Wen Ning by his hair and grabbed the arrows stuck into him, trying to drive them in deeper. A-Yuan wiggled out and attached himself to a leg, biting deeply into the back of the man's knee. His whole face was smeared with blood and he chewed and bit down over and over. He was kicked off eventually and rolled away over the gravel. He picked it up in his hand and flung it at them, his eyes very big. Tears ran over his face and he climbed onto Wen Ning, hugging him about the head and likely not helping much in not worsening his injuries.

"No, you should run!" Wen Ning said, trying to pull him off and hug him again. "Please do not harm this young child!" He begged, not making any aggressive movements.

Furious, Wei Ying lifted the flute. Just three notes and he gave up. They had dug out all the nearby copses, just like before. The timeline was different but the motives were the same. Their basic actions were also the same. But there were different variables on his side. Wen Ning was not a feral corpse and would not lose control. That meant he could be killed. He did not have to worry about the Tiger Seal going hay-wire. But, they had A-Yuan with them. There was no way for him to predict everything absolutely and he could only make each decision as the situation evolved.

Rushing forward, Wei Ying let the darkness spill out and the repelling talismans withered in their hands. They were not strong enough for him or even the wisps that came off his hem.

"Wei Ying!" Lan Zhan called out a warning to him.

"I won't kill them if I can avoid it!" He replied, more aware than anyone what would happen if he killed these people. "Jin Zixun, I will do something about that curse! I may not be the cause of it but I may be able to treat it. At the very least I can try to halt its progression. But if you continue to attack my family I will definitely eradicate you!"

"Ha! Like I can believe a word you say!" Jin Zixun retorted, folding his arms over his chest in a bratty stance. "Those Wen dogs should have been destroyed already anyway!"

Wen Ning gritted his teeth but his wounds got the better of him and he coughed up more blood. Others crept forward and tackled him, pulling him back by his hair. Someone got a hold on A-Yuan's arm and flung him out into the ravine. Wen Ning's eyes widened dramatically and he let out a bellow that could have come from a feral corpse. He launched himself, ripping his hair, and dove right over the edge into the chasm.

Time fractured. The ground at his feet ruptured and black hands rose out from inside them, grabbing them by their ankles and dragging them into the void. From the top of the ravine to the bottom. Wei Ying felt sick to his stomach as he could only hear A-Yuan's scream and Wen Ning's roar over and over in his ears. "My child..." He said, holding his stomach. "...my Yuan..."

"What the hell is going on here?!" Came a domineering, haughty tone.

"No!" Wei Ying turned, pointing at Jin Zixuan. He had popped out from somewhere, only furthering the nightmare. "You stay where you are!" He shouted, loudly. "Do not move one step from where you are! You'll die!" Beside himself, Wei Ying rushed to where Lan Zhan had finally gotten some respite. Around half the cultivators were gone and the rest were regrouping. "Lan Zhan...he fell...A-Yuan...he fell!" He could not get that out of his mind.

"He could survive the fall!" Lan Zhan reassured him. "It is not a long drop and there are no rocks. If Wen Ning caught him, even more so."

"Yuan?" Jin Zixuan was standing very precariously still with one foot raise. He examined the ground and then set his foot down again. "And? How am I going to die if I move?" He looked at Zixun sideway with something like hate on his chiselled features. "I'll deal with you later."

"_My son_!" Wei Ying snarled, stomping his foot. "They just threw him away?! I just saw him fall right in front of my eyes!" Tears ran down his cheeks as he vented on this person. "Why are you here?! Why did you have to come here?! And you...!" He turned to Jin Zixun. "...I have told you! I didn't curse! Yet you still attack my Sect brother and my fiancé and my child?! Do you no longer want what time you've got left?!"

Zixun was surrounded by around a hundred men now and they were all very frightened. Taking him on was already terrifying. Lan Zhan was another army unto himself. They had targeted the weak link by default but that had only made things worse.

Jin Zixuan had gone very, very pale. Sweat ran down the side of his face. He swallowed reflexively. "Your son?" He asked, his hand going to the necklace he wore. It was in no way befitting him, in his high station and clashed brutally with his all gold. Because it was blue and sparkly and had bits and pieces of junk attached to it. But his son had made it and he was wearing it. Likely because his wife had made him put it on. "You...!" He turned toward his clansmen angrily. "You attacked a child?!"

"We thought they were Wens!" One of the younger men said, lifting his hands. "He was wearing white!"

"He's a child, of course he's wearing white!" Jin Zixuan snarled, pumping his fists. "Oh, I have never been so ashamed of the Sparks Amidst Snow as I am right now! If I could strip you and make you walk back naked I would still feel it too much of a disgrace. Our Jin clan the murderer of children?! Beautifully done, Zixun!" He ground his teeth. "Wei Wuxian...there is a ford some miles from here! It is likely they will drift there!" He turned, walking forward, forgetting the warning said to him.

Panicked, Wei Ying moved out toward him. To meet him and shelter him. Yanli's important person! There was a twang on the air. It sounded similar to a bowstring but it was not precisely the same. A rumble filled the air. Wei Ying felt a wave of earth ki slam into him and he dropped, his hand going to his head. Lan Zhan hastily caught him and held him up. There was a tearing, rending noise. The ground was trembling but not bucking. It was not an earthquake. The shelves in the ravine walls, that lifted some dozens of feet above the bridge, collapsed and everyone tumbled down. Something had definitely set it

off. They had done much digging in the area so someone might have also set it up to collapse. Likely, at some specific moment or at a certain trigger.

The bridge ruptured and fell into the chasm and several cultivators with it. The support poles from the bridge were left sharp and jagged, one protruding dangerously like a spear. Jin Zixun was running for his life and did not even bother to look at who he trampled. He pulled and pushed the others from his path, screaming the entire time. His eyes were huge and his hair came down as he struggled. Those who were dragged into the earth were screaming, too. A few drove their swords into their own bodies. The din melted in together as the landslide devoured everything in its path.

Supported by Lan Zhan, Wei Ying concentrated on keeping the earth right under them together. He forced the yin energy to mix with the soil. The spirits that were always with him held on to what they could. It was only four feet but it was a stable piece of ground. Jin Zixun was just outside that sphere so Wei Ying cast a hand to him, to pull him to stand beside them. He saw it and reached out as well.

A hand landed on Jin Zixuan's shoulder.

He was pulled backwards and flung to the side.

Lan Zhan gasped and looked pricelessly shocked. Even he mouthed some silent prayer as Jin Zixuan flailed his arms and writhed as the post stuck through his entire chest. He looked like an insect tacked and flapping around. Blood flooded down his chin and throat and his eyes became dulled as a pool of blood formed at his feet.

The shuddering stopped, the land settled, the clouds of dust drifted off.

Jin Zixun was on his hands and knees with just four other cultivators as survivors. They were holding their hands over their heads and whimpering, most incontinent or vomiting.

There was no nightmare Wei Ying had had that could be as bad as this. He stood there, feeling a little disoriented as he just stared at Jin Zixuan body, hanging limply from the pole.

Then a noise came to him and he looked to the side sharply. A hand came up from the ravine and Wen Ning's head popped up there. He flung a very wet A-Yuan onto the shelf and climbed up after him. He curled up, his hair ratty, and panted. "They were...waiting...down there..." He said, between gasps. "...they tried to fish us out with poles and take us hostage!"

"Lan Zhan," Wei Ying said, his mouth puckered. "Please, disregard it."

He swung around, lifting his hand toward the surviving cultivators. They were all knocked out easily in their current conditions. Jin Zixuan he pulled from the post with his own hands. The body was in a terrible state but the soul was still nearby. Although the torso was bad, his neck and spine were intact. His head was whole. His intestine was not ripped. He needed lungs and a heart and some rib bones. So Wei Ying dragged Jin Zixun over to him and tore open his chest. His heart was beating right there in front of them and continued to beat even when exposed to the air.

Lan Zhan flinched badly, his face twisting up.

Wen Ning had Yuan looked the other way but his eyes were trained on the procedure. "Take it from the base. You need to connect all the vessels neatly so the blood will flow properly!" He said, earnestly. "Sister said it was possible but she has never had a success!"

"If it is possible, I will make it happen!" Wei Ying said, manipulating the organ with his yin energy and connecting the many vessels as quickly and thoroughly as he could. The lungs followed. Then the bones. As if he was sculpting. All the while, the Tiger Seal had hold of Jin Zixuan's spirit and was keeping in the sealed environment of the ravine. He pulled all the vitality and resources from Jin Zixun's carcass until it was just a husk, and used these to replace the blood and fluids lost. Lastly, he needed to seal the major hole in Jin Zixuan's body.

So without even thinking about it, he transferred the entire thing onto his own body. The blood ran down and stained his clothes as the hole ripped through him. He spat the blood out to the side. He was more than used to major injuries and it was not even that painful. He had ripped out his own Golden Core, what that having a small hole in his chest?

He turned, his eyes lightly appearing inhuman to them. "He needs yang energy!" He said, hoarsely.

Lan Zhan knelt, putting his hands together before his face. He revved up all the energy he could spare and basically brought it down like a hammer on Jin Zixuan's chest. The percussion could have cracked his new ribs but it certainly force-started his new heart and his body shook all over. Slowly, he drew in a breath. Another breath followed. His fingers and face gained colour. His brows pinched and he opened his eyes. At first, they were those of a corpse. Then he blinked a few times and the light came back into them.

"I am..." He muttered, softly. "...am I...dead?" He asked, numbly.

"No." Lan Zhan said. "You are a living man."

Wen Ning carried Yuan over to them, kneeling beside them in awe. "Everyone else is dead." He said softly, as he looked around. "Below, they got away. I'm sorry young master..." He looked down and hugged Yuan tightly. "...they will say lies about you again!"

"Yes, well..." Wei Ying turned, leaning on Lan Zhan's shoulder. "...for now, I think we should get out of here. The ravine isn't stable anymore. We need to tell the mortals not to come this way for at least a month. And then..." He turned to Yuan, who was fighting bravely even now. "...we can go home."

The child looked at them all and let out a wail. He was six. He was scared. He had fought hard and almost died. The word 'home' was too much for him and he could only bury his face in his little hands and scream.

Screams that all four of them would carry in their hearts forever.


	2. Precipice

Edit; I added Wen Ning's wife's name here. She's not canon. I just put this in since I felt like it and it flushed out the character as a 'living man' a bit more. He was such a great catch so I thought it would be more likely he'd end up married. Of course, this is just a fanfic, so feel free to continue whatever ship feels best!

* * *

Although they travelled by worm-hole to shorten the distance, they arrived at Burial Mound in a sorry state. Wen Ning collapsed and had to be immediately treated for a high fever and the wounds to his back. Luckily, as the goal had been to take him hostage, they had not been aimed at a vital spot. Wen Ning's wife was not informed until he was stabilized so as not to affect her and her unborn. Once they were certain he would recover and could not pass the fever to her, she was told and allowed to sit with him.

A-Yuan had some bruises and had also caught a fever. He did not want to be separated from them but they could not really stay with him. So they set up a cot next to Wen Ning's bed and allowed him to sleep there. Li Mei agreed to call them if A-Yaun's fever got worse.

They took Jin Zixuan to an empty room in the Demon Slaughtering Cave, which was kept safely behind a sturdy rock wall. Wei Ying had issued the decree that no one but himself, Wen Ning, Wen Qing, and any guest with him at the time, was permitted in the cave. He had sectioned it off with internal walls, some of which were for patients of Wen Qing or for zombies he was dissecting.

It was not a place for the faint of heart, certainly.

Zixuan was disoriented and had not grasped what had happened to him yet so he allowed them to put him to bed and wrap his chest in bandages. His wound was actually gone but he was favouring his chest due to the mental strain; he remembered being impaled so even if his body had not a mark or scar, he was still going through the recovery process.

Luckily, Wen Qing understood what was going on at a glance and induced a coma with some mind-numbing tea. It kept him occupied for the next set of hours so they could cope without the lofty young lord trying to weigh in.

Wei Ying held himself together until they were fine. He sat on a bench with his head in his hands. It was different from what he had gone through in his first life. It was still not to the point of total ruin. While he had many enemies, he also had allies. Lan Zhan was with him. His uncle was still alive and able to speak for him. He doubted that Nie Mengjue would entirely turn on him. It was more a question of who the hell was targeting him after so long. He did not think it would be Jin Guangshan alone even if the man was a pompous ass.

He had already gotten what he wanted so there was no motive. He had wanted to be Chief Cultivator and he had. With his unusual duel cultivation, requiring a partner nearly every night, he had gone down in history as perhaps the most ridiculous of Sect Leaders. His sons were able to save face only because there was someone even more absurd to compare him to and that person was, of course, Yiling Patriarch who played with dead bodies and commanded wraiths. The more unpleasant parts of Jin Guangshan's personality, or his sons, or anyone else's, were masked and disregarded because the Grandmaster's defects were so much more extreme.

Before he had transmigrated, Jin Guangshan and his son Guangyao had been conspicuously interested in the Tiger Seal. It had been in a solid form then and considered the main source of his power. It had not been the source of his power, though. It was something he had made so ultimately he was the master. He believed that that was why it had saved him. If he died, it might also cease to exist. So if he did not die, it would never fully disappear. Even at the end, when he had been burning and torn apart by the souls of the damned, the Tiger Seal had been something he could hold onto. So he had swallowed it. And because he had trans_regressed_ into a previous form of himself, he had been able to prevent others from ever knowing anything about the seal as a separate entity from himself.

They all believed it was something he had gotten from his mother.

That did not necessarily mean that one or more of them could not want it badly enough to try hacking it out of him, absorbing it, or even forcing him into some kind of binding contract. There were rumours that demonic cultivation had slavery pacts and could do the utmost disgusting things to a person's soul. He had never opened those doors as someone who valued righteousness to any degree. He only used the dead until the battle was over and then they, too, were given back to the earth.

Lan Zhan wrapped the bandages around his chest for him. Wen Qing could not treat him beyond normal medicines and mostly left him on his own. She considered him a mutant not much different from a demonic beast. He could only agree that his body was different from other humans. He healed not because he was superior but because the spirits dwelling inside his body pulled the flesh together. It would take a few days for such serious wounds...which meant he could survive a fatal wound in just a few days.

"Wei Ying," Lan Zhan said, softly. "If they attacked us at such a place, they must have known where we were headed. This implies someone told them about our plans."

Frowning, looking up at him, Wei Ying sighed. Betrayal was a part of life but it was always painful. He did not want to believe any of his close associates would do that. Not just for himself but because it had brought harm to Wen Ning and A-Yuan. He could mentally rule out quite a few people because of that. There were also fewer people who would want to involve the Lan clan in any kind of retaliation or revenge so Lan Zhan's presence was important.

"There are only a handful of people who could have done that." He said coldly. "More so because it is still difficult for anyone to leave here without knowing to be doing so. They may. It is not as if they cannot boldly walk down the mountain. Even Wen Ning goes down every so many days to buy rice for his wife..." He paused, his words getting stuck in his throat.

Wen Ning was married a little less than a year. It had happened suddenly and he had been hiding it until Wen Qing told him to be honest. Those tendencies to hid things were deeply ingrained in the Wen clan members due to their earliest education. The Wen Clan before the war had been brutal even to its own. Wen Ning had always been bullied by the Wen Clan. That had been his purpose. To be ridiculed and to make others appear better. He was, by that theory, not meant to survive or sire children. Before the war, he would have been separated from his girlfriend and they might even have been killed.

Everyone there at Wei Village had been happy for them, though. It had been something they could say they got back. Even the timid Wen Ning was now a young master, the right hand of their Grandmaster. And that was a symbol, Wei Ying realised, that was not much less threating than the Ghost General. Wen Ning was no longer the scary zombie warrior he had been but a living man.

_He could give testimony!_

Before, he had never even been questioned because he had been dead. Even if he could speak better than Mengjue, a corpse was a corpse! But now, he was not considered as such and he was a threat on his own merit!

Wen Qing, too. She was dangerous. She was a Wen that could heal people and that bought loyalty from many. As a woman, she could marry and change her surname and that would lead to the Wen blood getting mixed in with some other house. As one of his chief advisors there at Burial Mound she held political power and was influencing how the Sects interacted with him; which meant that if by some extreme they wed, there was the possibility of their children seriously leading a Demonic Sect for the first time.

Not that that would ever happen as he had decided to wed another man...but...to others that would likely be considered 'just for show' because they, themselves, could not comprehend what that meant. Nor did they understand that his body was in a precarious state and very likely could not sire children. He did not think so and Wen Qing said it was unlikely. With all the yin energy inside him and the multitude of spirits, and the damage he had done when ripping out his golden core, siring children was not in his future. Yet he had a female advisor near him all the time and had made her younger brother his right-hand man. He could understand how others would think of that.

Biting his lip, Wei Ying swallowed thickly. He could only feel dumb for not realising that, behind all the smiles and the security of the life he had built, there were even darker and more hideous shadows. He turned, putting his hands to Lan Zhan's face. He hugged him, tightly. For a few seconds, he was genuinely insane from fear. Lan Zhan only knew he had almost lost his son, his friend, and his brother-in-law so he accepted the fear as a natural response without asking questions.

When he had calmed down enough to speak, Wei Ying licked his lips. "I have seen a glimpse of the future. It is only one possibility, as I say every time. But, there is a very high likelihood I am correct. In fact, I had a bad premonition about Jin Zixuan when I saw him. It came true very abruptly but I was able to handle that on the spot. Of course, I would rather keep the method to myself but I will bring it out if I must." He nodded to Lan Zhan. "The difficulty is that now there will be people all over calling me a murderer. Whether I am or I am not is of little import to them who lost brothers and sons and husbands. On the other hand, I cannot abide that A-Yuan was almost taken away from me."

"I believe that method is too dangerous." Lan Zhan replied, honestly. "It was due to the circumstances. Yet Jin Zixun was alive when you..." He paused, looking down. "...the others were left as they were, though. This is something that will likely baffle the people who investigate. I presume they will send someone. The Jin Clan."

"Well, they would have to, their Sect Leader was involved and, now, they will consider him missing at best or dead at the worse." Wei Ying put a hand to his chin. "Yanli is at Koi Tower. I would I could go and reassure her but I do not think I can." He put a hand to his chest. "I can at least send her an owl, though." He turned, meaning to get up and walk across the space to where he kept a very large pen of owls. They were unusual owls that lived in the ground and had very round red eyes. Unfortunately, his legs gave out and he collapsed onto his knees and forearms. Sweat ran down the edge of his chin and he spat blood out as it flooded his throat.

Lan Zhan picked him up, giving him an annoyed expression and put him to bed in their private area. He took away the sweaty clothes and folded thick blankets over and around him. Somewhat tightly, as if to prevent him from moving around. "Rest." He said.

He did indeed need to rest. For three days he could only lay there allowing his body to fill in the large hole in his chest. Hour by hour it did fill in. He sat up on the second day and ate rice congee but he was unable to do anything else. Lan Zhan stayed with him the entire time, nursing him and brushing his hair for him. They were domestic together, chattering about silly things. Lan Zhan rarely spoke long rifts of speech but sometimes he would say something profound. It was the life they had gotten used to over the last few years and unlike what most people envisioned of homosexual relations.

The fact that he had been able to feel so fondly for Lan Zhan still made him confused at times. If he thought about it. The rest of the time it was just 'that'. Like the colour of his hair or the shape of his hands. So he had already decided that it was not about whether he was cut-sleeve or not. It was that, by comparison, Lan Zhan was probably the only person who could be with him...and he was the only person who could be with Lan Zhan.

On the fourth day, he got up. By this point, Jin Zixuan was up and moving around restlessly. He wanted to hurry up and return to reassure his wife and clan that he was alive. They had no way of knowing what was going on unless someone came to Burial Mound to tell them.

"Then, shall we go to Koi Tower, then?" Wei Ying asked, looking at Jin Zixuan, Lan Zhan, Wen Nin, Wen Qing, and two lackeys who were bearing standard for them. "This time we're going by wormhole, though. I'm not taking any chances."

Jin Zixuan swallowed reflexively as the circular cut in reality appeared before his eyes. There was seemingly nothing within. Distance and even shape became more relative. Nevertheless, he knew it would not consume him and he had little choice but to walk forward. With his head up and his long tail of hair swishing a bit, he entered the worm-hole. Once within, he did not look back. Wen Ning was entirely calm and Lan Zhan did not comment. Wen Qing did not like it but she remained calm. Wei Ying wondered if it was more uncomfortable to them because they all had golden cores but he lacked the confidence to ask about that.

There were quite a large number of people present at Koi Tower when the worm-hole opened. It opened in an elevated area with many iron cages holding fires. It was just coming on toward dusk and there were sentries out patrolling. The group gathered there turned, staring at this disk of black space that opened up in the air and the man that stepped out of it.

Jiang Cheng knew what it was and did not panic but he had to hastily put a hand out to stop others from running in terror.

Yanli, by comparison, let out a cry and ran right at it. "A-xian!" She said, seeing him first. She skidded a little about three feet away, turning to look at her husband. "A-Zi!" Tears rushed down her face and she put her hands up. Then she hooked an arm around both of them and hugged them tightly. "You are alive! You are alive!" She was laughing and crying at the same time.

Easing out of her grip so that Zixuan could hold onto her properly, Wei Ying back up to Lan Zhan's side. Although he was terrified of someone stabbing her in the neck now, he felt it was only right to let the husband take the lead. Jin Zixuan looked truly humbled and was holding her tightly. Not in the distant, polite way one normally did in public but possessively; as if the ground would disappear and they would both fall into the void. He had felt it and some part of him was different because he had actually experienced death. Yanli ran her hands over his chest and arms, checking him for wounds; she found bandages and her brow puckered but he shook his head to show he was fine.

"Well, it would be good if we got an explanation!" Mengjue was there, his expression tense and angry. "We got called up because you killed a few hundred people...but I gather there is more to the story. So? What offence was so great that you needed to slaughter people from your sister's husband's family?"

Red sparked at his eyes, he knew it. His hands clenched spasmodically. If Lan Zhan had not been right there to be his leash, he might have broken Mengjue's jaw. "My son..." He growled, one eye twitching. "...my son almost died, you bastard."

"Yuan?!" Yanli turned, sharply, her hands to her chest. "No, no, he's only a little boy! Who would dare to hurt him?!"

"The goal was to kidnap A-Yuan and Wen Ning." Lan Zhan said, softly. It was very calm. Too calm. His gold eyes glinted and he looked over the group of people, including his brother, with some contempt. "I also was shot at with arrows but no one came close to me. The targets were only A-Yuan and Wen Ning."

"What?" Lan Xichen stepped forward just a little. Lan Xichen, at least, new that A-Yaun also had the Lan surname now and his hands clenched. "This is...entirely different from what our investigation had told us. Let us go into the hall and discuss this properly. To bring everything out in order is essential or we will only bicker like idiots and prove nothing." He was wise to how things might play out and wanted to prevent that. "A-Yao, I know you are very upset but clearly Jin Zixuan is alive." He turned to the handsome young man beside him who held a fan in one hand and wore a squared-off hat. "It is good that your brother is alive."

Jin Guangyao did look somewhat relieved to see Jin Zixuan but he was not the type to show great joy over anything. He nodded once to acknowledge his half-sibling's miraculous return. "As to these matters, I would also like a thorough account." His brows pinched. "Starting from what that is..." He indicated the worm-hole. "...and concluding with this matter of the hundred-holes curse."

Folding his arms, Wei Ying nodded once. "On that, I also agree. We need to impartially investigate that as soon as possible. Before anyone else is killed." He looked down. "For those I killed at the pass, I will not offer an apology. This is because I cannot. However, for endangering others and causing discord, I will make what reparation I can." He turned to Yanli, putting his hands together, and bowed to her. Then he bowed to the group of Sect Leaders. When he had straightened up they were all staring in shock. He turned without bothering to comment on that and moved toward the building. "This time..." He muttered to himself. "...this time is going to be different."

He was so focused on what he was going to do and how to protect everyone that he did not notice Lan Zhan's worried frown or the way that Yanli and Jiang Cheng exchanged looks. He did not know that Jin Zixuan lowered his head in consternation or that Lan Xichen said a prayer in his heart. He only knew that he was standing on the edge of a precipice and he could barely move for falling or throwing himself onto the blades of his enemies...and that made his aura seethe and undulate with negative emotions, shadows, and the terror of losing everything again.


	3. Conference

Note: For reference to the 'worm-hole' see chapters War: Part Two and Part Three of Into the Fire. I made this up to account for travel over vast distances. The idea was to give Wei Wuxian powers that are actually terrifying and almost insurmountable.

* * *

Jin Zixuan took a seat with Yanli at his side, not wishing to be parted from her by even a few feet. He had a fatigued expression and was showing signs of physical distress so she was very attentive to him, ignoring her brother on the other side of her.

He was watching them with his eyes turned and not paying attention to the front and centre, where a cleared space extended by twenty feet or so. Jiang Cheng was there as a representative of the Jiang Sect. After the war, they had always attempted to have one leader at Lotus Pier at all times, in case of a sudden attack. He could call for his father to come if it was necessary but it was unlikely he would do so. He had become a very formidable young master, totally in command of his weapons. Even now, he had the black whip Wei Wuxian had given to him; something that could suck out life qi and render someone a husk. He rarely used it but it was there and it instilled terror in many even five years after the war.

Nie Mengjue was seated facing Jiang Cheng with his younger brother just behind him. Beside him, there was Lan Xichen and Lan QiRen was just behind him. Behind these rows of Sect Leaders of the Great Sects, there were the lesser sects who always showed up at such meetings or who had been there for some other reason and felt it was polite to attend.

At the head of the hall, there was Jin GuangShan. He was on a slightly raised dais and seated on a pouf rather than a typical chair. His hair was turning grey now that he was in his fifties but he had otherwise not aged in the last few years. Whatever methods he was employing in his so-called 'duel cultivation', it had improved his physical condition. He had an unhappy expression but he knew he was not a good orator and did not care enough about his nephew to draw attention to himself. Unless he knew he could gain from it, he would rather leave everything up to his sons.

Jin Guangyao was sitting just before him and at the same level as everyone else. He opened the discussion by closing his fan and setting it down beside him. He looked a little unusual compared to the others because he chose to wear a hat. The hat did not have a specific purpose and was not unbecoming on him, yet it was somehow distracting due to its squared-off shape.

"First," He said, looking at the floor for a long moment before lifting his eyes cautiously to where Wei Ying was sitting at the opposite side of the open space, on a cushion. "It would be prudent to assure everyone of what that was just now. It appeared to me to be a rift in time and space that I could not account for or even see clearly. Is this how it appeared to everyone else?" He got nods from the other Sect Leaders and Yanli. "Then, Wei Wuxian, can you explain what that was?"

Jin Zixuan lifted a hand. "I can attest that it is not dangerous. It is like a hall or tunnel. There was a firm floor upon which we walked yet I could not say what precisely it was we were walking on. Nor did I understand where I was while inside it." He looked at his hands as he spoke. "It is not the most important thing we must discuss but I also would like to know what it is and how you came to command it."

There was a pause, then Jiang Cheng sighed. "It's a worm-hole." He said. "I have also travelled through it. During the war, when I was injured at the fort, I moved through it without harm. However, I cannot see them when shut and I do not know how to open them." He looked over with a glare, but he was aware that his adoptive brother could have shown up on the back of a Roc bird, so he did not comment about excess.

Smiling, Wei Ying nodded and pointed to his eyes. "My eyes were different from birth, so I could see them like some people see steam. I also see spirits and ghosts. After I became a Yin Practitioner, I was able to produce energy similar to that and open them up. I call them worm-holes as that is what they seem to be called in certain texts I have read. The fixed ones just connect places by shortening the distance between them. Rather than moving the object faster across the same distance, the distance itself decreases." He lifted a hand and shrugged. "It may be harder for some people than others but it has never harmed anyone. This is also why sometimes people, animals, or even zombies will just randomly appear in a place far from where they had been. They might accidentally enter one without realizing it, particularly if they enter one at night or in a dark place."

"Why did you not tell us of this before?" Lan Xichen asked, softly. "During the war, you clearly used this to move around with less time and effort. You did not feel that it should be shared with all our Mixed Colours, though, and I would rather believe this was for our safety." He frowned just a little. "If there is a danger in using them, it should rightly be made plain."

"There is some risk." Wei Ying responded, nodding once. "There are likely people who entered and never exited. For instance, if the worm-hole itself collapses, anyone in it would simply cease to be. It might also use anything inside it as nutrients to sustain itself. No, not like an animal. More like a tree. But these are just random possibilities." He gestured it aside. "During the war, it was not convenient to tell others these things. If it had gotten to the enemy, that would have been unpleasant. It is also harder with more people and as I said, it is more uncomfortable for people with cores, so..." He shrugged. "...basically, you just didn't need to worry about an unstable factor when you were already busy."

Nie Huaisang chuckled behind his fan. "Shi-Xiong is still humorous at such a time, it gives me hope." He said, very softly. "That worm-hole is a little scary but I did not get an evil feeling from it. Not like it was going to suck people into it."

Lan Zhan nodded once to that.

Mengjue considered that. "Then setting that matter aside, this incident at the pass is troublesome." He had a scowl and looked around the hall. "From my understanding, the case was straight forward. That Wei Wuxian, known as the Grandmaster or Yiling Patriarch, became corrupted from dark cultivation, lost his mind, and killed those present. They _were_ attacking him at the time. We cannot deny that. Even the surviving cultivators were honest that they were told to attack him. Jin Zixun's body was found there along with just under three hundred cultivators. Jin Zixuan was presumed dead as his sword and bloodied clothing was found at the site." He sucked his front teeth and folded his big arms across his chest. "Well, now the man himself has arrived and with Jin Zixuan." He turned, looking down the length of the open space. "You claim that they attacked you and harmed your son? In the first place, I did not know you had a son."

Turning his eyes, Wei Ying sucked his lips in for a moment. As much as he wanted to shout at them, he managed to control his tones as he spoke up. It was only because Lan Zhan was right next to him that he was able to do this. "Yes. I do. I did not speak much about my domestic situation because I knew that anyone associated with me would become a target. A young child is just a victim. Lan Zhan is another matter as the name Lan protects him, so he agreed to give this child the Lan Surname." There was some shock at this and Xichen nodded once to confirm it. "If these people knew that or not, I cannot say, but we have not tried to hide this fact. At the very least, Jin Zixun called them 'Wen Dogs' so he likely did not know." Wei Ying forced himself not to tighten his hands too much. He glared as he controlled his innate impulses but some of his aura leaked out. "Wen Ning, too. He was also targeted. Not just as a Wen, though, but as my subordinate. I know that most of you would love it if I just disappeared. But I also know that you are not the sorts to attack me unless there was some additional reason." He looked at Mengjue directly. "You dislike it, right? That I cultivate this way."

"Well, it's dangerous," Mengjue replied. He was blunt and honest about it, just as always. There was no scheming in such a man and this made it easier to hear him out. "Dangerous things require monitoring. So far, in five years, you've done nothing to provoke me to attack you. When I saw what you do at Burial Mound, for the shattered ones, I could understand what you mean by 'balance'. However, you also use resentful energy and control the undead, so that is why we constantly seek to know more about what you are doing and why." He sighed. "However, I can imagine it would be maddening for anyone in this hall to see a child targeted. I'm confused about this. Why was this child present?" He looked over with a frown.

"I was going visiting and thought he could play with Jing Ling." Wei Ying replied, openly. "Yanli and Jiang Cheng knew about A-Yuan from some time ago. They also did not speak on it for obvious reasons. Jin Zixuan...I think he knew, I'm not certain." He shrugged. "And why can't I take my son out? Why does that question need to be asked?"

"That is...true." Lan Xichen sighed and put a hand to his face. "I have met this child once. He is to be my nephew, after all. I did not realize it was such a serious matter, though." His expressions indicated he was wise to all their plans, in fact, but he did not let on about that. "Is he fine now?"

"He suffered a high fever from the stress and being thrown into the river." Lan Zhan put in, softly. "He will recover. Wen Ning was shot protecting him and dove into the ravine to rescue him when he was discarded there. Who his parent is, is not the only important fact. These men were prepared to take this young child away with them, but when he resisted, they did not hesitate to throw him into the ravine."

There were murmurs and shock from most people present.

Slowly, everyone looked at Jin Guangyao. He nodded once, looking at Lan Xichen for support. It was given in the form of a return nod. After preparing himself, he took a breath and gave a statement. "Zixun attacked Wei Wuxian because a curse had been placed upon him. Indeed, I knew he had gone out to make a confrontation. He told me he was taking a small number with him for protection. I anticipated there would be a conflict between them as there had always been such. Last time, Zixun had been dragged here in that way and we did confine him for his unruly behaviour for a year. Since then, there was nothing to indicate they would ever interact again. Then, Zixun became afflicted with the Ulcerating Curse, commonly known as Hundred Holes. This is a profound and excruciating way to die, so it is only fair to say he may have become insane." He spoke with his eyes down a little. When he lifted them, he first checked with Lan Xichen again, for reassurance. They were close friends and Guangyao relied upon Xichen much more than he did upon his father or Jin Zixuan. Perhaps because Xichen was much kinder. He then turned to look into the middle distance.

Jin Guangshan was simply hiding behind his fan and not participating.

"Hundred Holes." Nie Huaisang muttered, shuddering. "That is so evil! Shi-Xiong would not do something like that to anyone, I think!"

"Would he not?" Mengjue asked, cocking an eye at his younger brother. "I seem to recall he turned a living man into a zombie. He also seems to have devoured or mutilated the corpses left at the pass. Certainly, if it is resentment, he has it in excess. Hundred Holes is not beyond his scope."

"I will not deny being capable of it." Wei Ying replied. "But I did not. Let me say that the man I turned into a zombie was attacking my home and the home of my adopted family. I was also not entirely in my right mind because of internal injuries. Basically, I couldn't pull my punches with a walking disaster like the Core Melting Hand." He rolled his eyes, feeling the two were incomparable. "Jin Zixun, by comparison, was just annoying. When he joined that contingent of hypocrites and killed many of the guest cultivators, something had to be done. I was not the only one hunting him, either! But what did I do? I dragged him here. Oh, yeah, I hurt his pride and he had bruises. I think I broke some bones. I did not spend excess time and energy cursing him."

"True." Jin Zixuan said, licking his lips. "I had already considered the matter over with. Well, it is because of that incident that I would rather think you had not done these things. Since you had ample time and opportunity to kill him then. Unless you met again and there was further insult against you I would not think of why you would curse him. His motives we understand well enough but yours? That I could only understand by going to the pass myself." He swallowed thickly. "The matter remains that Jin Zixun _believed_ that it was you. This is strange by itself. He could have simply said so because he hated you. Yet, he acted upon it rather than merely saying it. Even to the point of involving others, such as HanGuang-Jun." He nodded once to acknowledge this. "If it was a belief fed by some evidence, then..."

"Then someone lied to him and set us both up." Wei Ying nodded, feeling his middle seethe with disgust and hatred. "Which is what I'm here to discuss. You went there to discover why he had gone there...? Why not just send someone else?"

"I heard he was about to confront you and thought it better to intercede. Since I knew that if he insulted you again you would kill him." Jin Zixuan nodded with a troubled expression. "As Sect Leader I thought I should try to stop that. As his cousin, I intended to beat him full score later on. Now that he is dead, I only pity his mother." He shook his head and slumped a little, somewhat defeated.

Jin Guangyao narrowed his eyes at his brother, his expression closed. He was plotting and adjusting his plot every time someone spoke. "Hundred Holes could be done by proxy..." He said, very softly. "...but that would be stretching everyone's patience. Now that he is dead, it is a moot point. What I would rather discuss are the others who were killed. It would seem that the ravine walls were pulled down by an array. Furthermore, the corpses were nothing but husks. Jin Zixun was in a pathetic state, not even a whole corpse."

Of course, Jin Zixuan started and looked up in surprise. "What?" He asked, his brows drawing together.

"Yes." Mengjue nodded, perturbed that his words had not been absorbed properly. "I said that. The body was devoured or mutilated, giving the impression that Wei Wuxian had lost his sanity."

Lan Qi Ren nodded to this, his unforgiving expression rather annoying. "Wangji, you would still dare to sit with this man who had done this terrible thing?!" He asked, glaring at his nephew. "You were there as I understand it! You witnessed this atrocity and did not immediately return to the Cloud Recesses?!"

He turned his light coloured eyes on his uncle without a change in his expression. "I saw no atrocity." He said. It was his usual tone and expression. "I saw a man make the best of an atrocious situation."

Touched, Wei Ying bit his lower lip for a moment. Those moments of insanity had been brutal and the terror was still right here, beating against his breastbone with his heartbeat. He supposed that he would live with that terror every single day of his life. Perhaps, even in the next life, he would carry it. Or, perhaps, that was just a terror everyone carried around with them. He let out a sigh and rubbed his temple for a moment, thinking they all had the wrong idea but not sure how to convince them it was wrong. "Well, I did not devour anyone." He said, absently. "That was a side effect..."

"Side effect?!" Lan Qi Ren demanded, actually interrupting someone in his ire. "I saw the corpse with my own eyes! We all examined the field and the corpses together, at the request of Jin Guangyao. They have been cremated already to prevent them from becoming undead. And many rituals were done to prevent them from rising as ghosts. Jin Zixun's spirit was in a pitiful condition already but to further tear it to pieces by mutilating his corpse?! This is demonic indeed!"

"Uncle..." Lan Xichen interceded. "...your blood pressure."

Folding his arms, Wei Ying looked at them. Because they had seen the remains, so they thought they knew all about it. What they feared and hated they projected onto these corpses, making them into something much worse than they were. "So stubborn." He muttered. "What would you do?" He asked, looking at his lover. He could only rely on Lan Zhan in these circumstances. "What do you think I should do?"

"I believe that it is impossible not to explain that." He replied. "Unpleasant though it may be, the truth is better than the current belief."

Sighing, rubbing his brow, Wei Ying nodded. "Then, I will explain that." He said. He put a hand to his brow, rubbing his third eye for a moment. He looked over at Yanli and then at Jin Zixuan. "It will be the hardest on you, Jin Zixuan, to hear this. It may be difficult for others as well. You may find it disgusting. It's not something that can be changed now so just accept it." He nodded once to the uneasy expression he received.

"What did you do?" Jiang Cheng asked, in a hollow whisper. "You did something to them. For even you to call it disgusting..." He seemed worried about just how bad that could be and what that would mean for his sister.

"I did what I had to do." Wei Ying replied, looking at Cheng for a moment. He turned to Jin Zixuan a little more directly. He did have the most right to know the circumstances, after all. "Jin Zixuan, you were impaled from behind and died once. For around five minutes you could be said to have actually died, although really it was just that your body was not functioning. There is a time frame, differing greatly between persons, between an injury and death. Death as I define it is when the soul is _entirely separated_ from the body and the body becomes a corpse. You cannot put the two back together ordinarily and I would not recommend trying to do so. Shoving a soul back into a corpse is fundamentally perverse because that person would just continue until whenever they rotted away." He did not want to see that either. "But, even if a body has been ripped open or lost some part, the soul is still attached or able to re-attach, and that I would not consider a 'true corpse'. Souls begin to lose interest in their bodies after a few hours, but before then, they probably won't leave them. Just in case they start working again. This is what we all accept as the limits of our bodies and what it means to be mortal." He nodded once. "But if the injury were to be sealed up or repaired within that time-frame, then ostensibly the soul would go back in and the person would function normally. Not as an undead but as a living person."

There was a tension coiling in the air as they all began to comprehend his words.

"Jin Zixuan had lost his heart, lungs, some bones, flesh, blood; the time frame was radical. If losing a limb might result in true death after half a day, then what of losing a lung? I decided that I would act. I removed the broken parts and replaced them with those of a compatible person, who, conveniently, was nearby. Jin Zixun." He nodded once. "Do not worry about the curse, it had not reached the organs yet and will not transfer onto you. That's far too specific and costly in terms of qi and resentment. The process is also very simple and straight-forward and you should not have any side effects from this point on. Your body is not wounded, either. What you are feeling is called an Echo and is more similar to the dysphoria experienced by amputees. Just keep on looking at or touching your chest area and your brain will forget about the injury after a few days or weeks." He took a deep breath and let it out. "As for the other corpses, other than Jin Zixun, that was a side effect of the excess resentment. They were already dead when that happened to them and it should not have affected their spirits to any great extent. Ordinarily, all manner of things can happen to a corpse, such as being burned or even just naturally rotting away. Once the soul has lost interest or fully detached, it cannot harm that soul, whatever happens."

Lan Qi Ren leapt to his feet, his eyes blazing. He was so angry and revolted that he could not help but to gain his feet. "You...you would dare...do something so blasphemous?! Exchange people's lives like that?! Once a man is dead, he is dead! That is...that defies all that is right and good!"

The silence rang out. Everyone was shocked and many were exchanging looks of worry or fear. It sounded gruesome to them. Jin Zixuan was holding a hand over the bandages. He knew there were no wounds on his body. He had thought they were sealed by Wen Qing. He had wanted to ignore how strange it was for him to even be alive. Slowly, he turned and put his head down, his hands clenched. "Then it is as if I have devoured them." He said. "They were...truly, they were dead? They were not alive for this...?"

Wei Ying felt a chill go down his spine. Seeing this proud man like that reminded him that his thought process was different from others. Once he made up his mind, he could easily pick on life over another. He thought that was his humanity but others saw as the opposite. So, yet again, he lied. He nodded once. "Yes." He replied. "Yes, they were all dead."

Lan Zhan, beside him, shut his eyes. "Indeed." He looked up once more, taking on the weight of the lie. "It is a choice made under duress. But the life you live now is also the lives they would have lived. So live well."

Simple, to the point. It needed nothing added onto it.

Jin Zixuan looked up, swallowing thickly. He was the actual Sect Leader and he did not have the luxury of wallowing in self-horror or pity. Yanli was nodding to him, showing him that she was still there at his side. She did not yank her hand back in disgust. She clearly did not like it and it made her sad, yet she still loved him and was ready to support him.

"It surely cannot be undone now." Nie Huaisang put in, timidly. "So it is more a question of what to do from this point forward. Well, and that is also rather amazing. It is not true healing and I am not condoning the idea of exchanging one life for another. Yet, we all think it at some point. Honestly, if Brother was about to die right in front of my eyes and there was some way to save him, then I would be hard-pressed to say I would not do it." He nodded to the sharp look his brother shot him. "Oh, yes! It is not about taking lives, brother! Wei Shi-Xiong only made use of the corpses that were there. He saved the one that could be saved! This is how we look at all medical treatments. For there are even people here in this hall who had received some part from a corpse, willingly donated or else taken only because it would suit them. It can be done with regular cultivation so it would follow that it could also be done with Yin energy." He looked down. "The horror is only that Jin Zixuan was much, much closer to death."

"It is against the natural order!" Lan Qi Ren snapped. "What will be permitted next?! You say it so simply, but it inspires horror because the soul recognises it as wrong!"

Not surprised to hear that from this man, Wei Ying sighed. "Then if it was Lan Zhan or Xichen would you say that?" He demanded. It drew shock from many in the hall as it was a very direct question. "Your precious nephews. Or, if they saved you, would you curse them? Tell them they were wrong? Would you kill yourself? Jin Zixuan has a son! He has a wife! He has a sect to run and mouths to feed!" He glared. "You shut your mouth. I don't want to hear your hypocrisy. No one wants to die but not everyone can be saved. So if you get a flesh-eating illness or something, you can just suffer, because that's natural. I've said this before!" He hit the floor next to him. "And all this is arbitrary bullshit because, in the end, Jin Zixuan is alive right now. How or why are not up to you, they are up to him. But if I'd left him hanging off a wooden stick like some kind of insect you'd all still be calling me a demon." He rolled his eyes, fully irritated with them. "Not a single one of those deaths was natural because they were all essentially murdered. Not my be, either. Bastard though he was, Jin Zixun was also just a pawn. And that makes me sick!" He hit the floor again.

Lan Zhan turned and put a hand on his arm. A direct and obvious movement. He did not like to hear that kind of thing, even if he half believed it as well. He was not sitting with his birth family but with his lover. That put some shame onto him but he had the face to withstand it...or rather, he just didn't care about what other people thought that much. However, he could sense it when someone was getting too riled up and he turned his eyes over to his uncle warningly. To give out a warning before they both said things they could not take back.

Indeed, Xichen shut his eyes and let out a breath he had been holding. "Uncle, _please_ sit down. Your veins will rupture." He insisted, and once Lan Qi Ren had seated himself, he spoke up. "I believe that this method is simply beyond my understanding. But that is a discussion for another time." He lifted a hand. "To my mind, we have established already where the fault lies. Wei Wuxian is proposing that a third party is involved, which seems likely. Yet Jin Zixun did still involve many people in his personal grudge, which is something that cannot be laid at the feet of this third party or Wei Wuxian."

"Yes, I would rather we stop there." Jin Zixuan said. "Irrespective of the methods, Wei Wuxian did save my life. I cannot disregard that."

Jin Guangyao nodded once. "In that case, we will adjourn this meeting with the compromise that all of us will continue to investigate. As the corpses had already been cremated, this will have to be focused on who Jin Zixun met with..." He paused, his eyes narrowing for a moment. "...and other suspicious incidents occurring in the last, say, six months."

Everyone agreed this was the best way. It gave them all an escape route, anyway, so that they did not have to go to war with Burial Mound. No one wanted to, anymore. The few people who disliked him were now just in awe of him. It seemed that Lan Qi Ren was in the minority and many people were discussing how they might save lives using these methods. Without necessarily using Yin energy or resentment, of course. Wen Qing had been floating about in the background with her brother, just making sure he did not overdo it, but now she was approached by many people with questions and an impromptu medical conference began right there in the hall.

As it was late already and there was to be further discussion and planning, Jin Zixuan insisted they stay over. Yanli also wanted the chance to talk to them a little. With the understanding that Wen Qing and Wen Ning would also be treated as guests, Wei Ying accepted. He was glad that he and Lan Zhan were given one room but less thrilled that Lan Xichen dropped in on them almost immediately. He was worried about his younger brother so Wei Ying gave them some space. After the private exchange of words, Xichen lifted his hands with a curious expression. "Jin Guangyao as requested us to go and speak to him privately. He is not the type of man to make such requests, as you know. He wanted to speak on some matter he believed could be connected to this incident yet could not bring out in the main hall. Given that it could prevent future incidents, I would like to hear what he has to say promptly."

Nodding, Wei Ying took a deep breath and let it out. Lan Zhan immediately put a hand on his back to help support him, feeding him just a little yang energy. Once he could walk on his own they moved as a trio down the corridor. "I suppose I should offer my apologies to your uncle but I couldn't hold it in." He commented, softly. "I do not hate him, honestly. He may go grey, though, as...well..." He glanced at Lan Zhan for a moment and got silent permission. "...we had been travelling here to tell everyone the good news."

"Good news is always welcome." Lan Xichen said, his eyes sparkling. "Then I will inform him of this. In recent months, I almost believed him to be waiting for it. It is not conventional but good things should be celebrated. Uncle does not hate it and has come to accept it in his own way." He drew his hands together, lifting them, and bowed just a little. "Congratulations, little brother, brother-in-law."

Blushing, smiling, Wei Ying felt his heart flutter with happiness.


	4. Corner

Notes: So, I'm sure some readers will steadfastly dislike Guangyao based on the novel. In Canon, he is not 'good'. I never saw him as without redeeming features, though. Given the way his life went, I think his personality went against him. There were so many things that acted as corners or turning points for this character. If even one of them was handled even remotely differently, Jin Guangyao could have become an entirely different person. Which is generally true for anyone and that is what makes writing fanfics fun. We can explore those scenarios. So, this little note is just a reminder that at this point, those things that led Jin Guangyao to become the monster he ended up as, are only just happening or have not happened yet.

Trigger Warning! I mention incest in this chapter but there's nothing remotely graphic or explicit about it. Just that if the word or reference bothers you, I'm sorry.

* * *

Jin Guangyao was sitting at a desk in a large open space, divided with many intricate lath panels, all protective arrays, with one hand supporting his head. He was staring moodily at his desk and turned slowly, his eyes sliding snake-like to glare at them. He brightened up when he saw Lan Xichen and straightened up to bow. "Ah, it is better to shut the door." He gestured to it. "This is something I would rather no one else heard but especially anyone within the Jin clan."

"Oh?" Xichen obediently shut the door and then went to sit next to him. "You have seemed troubled of late. While all is going well on the surface there has been some undercurrent?"

"Until now, I thought it a private matter to be handled without notice." Was the candid reply. He sighed and looked at the desk again. There were several sheets of papers. One was a very badly crumpled letter. It looked to have been crushed and twisted many times only to be ironed out. Another was some document with numbers and figures. Finally, there was a portrait of his wife in her wedding costume; a beautiful woman on her finest, happiest day. He kept it here or had brought it in and was even protecting it with an array on the back, making him seem more doting than reserved and cunning.

Wondering why they had been summoned and what he could possibly have to talk to them about privately, Wei Ying did the rude thing of plopping down and resting his tired body at the side of the desk. Lan Zhan hesitated a moment before sitting more gracefully beside him; he was keeping his eyes peeled for signs of exhaustion or emotional instability but was otherwise attentive to their host.

The silence stretched a little before Jin Guangyao swallowed and nodded once. "I have...a small confession to make. Well, it is what it is. It had nothing to do with you specifically but rather involved you in general. I had not had much luck with demonic cultivation myself. As you said it could, it caused me pain and the results were not worth the costs. However, what I learned I knew. Mo Xuanyu, my younger half-brother, is much better at it than I am. He had even come to be able to read many of your seals and arrays. It came to my mind that, due to his lower cultivation base, it did not cause him any recoil. I also realised that, if I may say this, it was because he was a child." He tapped his temple. "A certain mental disposition to see things in a certain way is often the deciding factor. I set him up a safe space to practice these things, with the hope of establishing a small sub-branch of Yin Cultivators. That way, there would be no direct cause to fear you or your people in the future."

"Fear me?" Wei Ying asked, softly. "I will not attack others unless I am attacked!"

"That's not the point." Jin Guangyao replied, shaking his head. "The problem is that it is too easy for the younger generation. The way you set it up, Yin Cultivation is becoming more accessible. Right now, it is still only a few dozens. But they will grow up and marry and have children. They will raise their children with this method. Not the traditional Yang Cultivation that has always been. What the long-term ramifications of this will be, we simply cannot know. We can only wait and see. That is, simply put, far scarier to most people than if you were to attack us." He sighed and pursed his lips. "Wei Wuxian, you are naïve if you think there is no _political_ component to being what you are. And politics affect _everything_ about a sect. It is because politics were neglected that the war happened the way that it did. The might of the Wen Clan was not established in a day and their behaviour did not mutate overnight. No, it was happening right there in front of everyone. But it was not politically viable for anyone to do anything so they did not do it. It felt safer to simply ignore it, to maintain the established positions than to speak out. And that, in a nutshell, is what your existence forces us to do."

"Speak out?" Lan Xichen muttered, putting a hand to his chin and looked down. "So, you believe that this is where one of the problems arises. Because it would...create opposing traditions."

"Yes. If it is essentially harmless for people not successful with Yang Cultivations, then why not utilise this method?" Jin Guangyao blinked. "Humans are fundamentally greedy and perverse. Everyone has some base desire to be stronger, wealthier, holier, something...and cultivation is merely one means to that end. The Jin Clan also established itself over hundreds of years, turning out many fine cultivators. However, to sum it up, most of the efforts were put into bureaucracy rather than cultivation." He shrugged. "So this sub-sept is just a trial run that I cannot fully speak on in public. With my brother attending to his family more than to the sect, something was bound to happen. So it did. And this is why I wanted to speak to you privately. I believe that not only yourself but my brother...that is, the Sect Leader, Jin Zixuan...was the target." His expression became very troubled. "And it could partially be my doing."

"Your doing?!" Xichen asked, in surprise. "Please explain this to us."

"I will." Guangyao offered a troubled smile to his sworn brother. "This branch that I had tried to create is made-up of off-casts from various sects, orphans with some small potential...that kind of riff-raff the main sect cannot afford to take in. And among them, there are a few star pupils. Xuanyu, yes. That is one thing that troubles me, for he is...of a certain persuasion, which may also be a factor in this type of cultivation. The other lad is Xue Yang." His brows twitched. "He's a troubled teen I met while assessing some rumours of a feral beast. It turned out he was pranking everyone and there was no beast. I was very impressed with his mentality and physical abilities, but his personality...he is the type that does without always having a direct motive. I would say he is reactionary rather than methodical, yet he can and does plot out his actions. He grew up in the slums and, even before he was of age, had fought and killed to protect himself. He would kill even when it was not to protect himself, too." He rubbed his face. "Between me and Nie Mengjue, he was rational enough to choose me. Mengjue is aware of him but as long as he is under control, that man will not do anything. Honestly, Xue Yang would be able to gain some level of merit as a cultivator in the next years if he would stop causing troubles!"

"Troubles?" Xichen asked, softly. "Surely, he would not attack you?"

"He threatened to." Jin Guangyao smiled. It was a very welcoming and endearing smile, actually, but also very frightening. "However, I think he was uncertain how to deal with me, such as I am. I will not weary your years with bragging, Shi-Xiong, but really...this is a fifteen-year-old I am talking about. Of course, he'll challenge anyone he can."

Biting his lips, Wei Ying looked to the side, away from Lan Zhan. He had also been like that. Before he had fallen down, gotten hurt, been betrayed. He had also grown up in the slums and knew how bitter that could be. "So, this boy...he's here in LanlingJin?"

"He was." Jin Guangyao looked to the side with worried eyes. "Km, let me resume. I brought him in with much enticing. I believed he would take all that he could and then disappear, to be honest. Yet I was curious about him! And he showed tremendous loyalty when stimulated to do so. That was a contradiction I had also seen in you, the so-called Grandmaster. That is when I made a great error. When I showed him a drawing of the Stygian Tiger Seal, he was able to copy it thereafter even without seeing the image again. He could replicate _any_ seal or array that he saw even a portion of! It was as if his mind could not only retain all things he had seen but even correct or complete mere fragments!"

Lan Xichen was concerned at this statement. He took a moment before he spoke. "Are you suggesting that this young master could replicate the Stygian Tiger Seal? As I understood it, that seal was something that Wei Wuxian had inherited from his mother."

Nodding, Wei Ying sucked his bottom lip. "Yes, you can't use it." He said, firmly. "However, recreating images that precisely is...that is an absurdly useful ability! I was able to draw and remember very young but not recreate precisely." He lifted a hand, speaking honestly on that as it was so important. "If we are discussing 'language', then this Xue Yang is probably a genuine genius. Geniuses get bored very easily, though."

"Language?" Xichen asked.

"Yes, you learn a language slowly over time. Even very smart and gifted children take a few years to learn to speak properly." Wei Ying pointed to his temple. "The brain taking in information from people speaking, and being able to read and write are different. Language is..." He searched for a way to describe it, running his eyes over the broad open space.

"It is what separates humans from animals." Lan Zhan put in, softly. "And, perhaps, what separates humans and celestials."

"And demons." Wei Ying turned to him, lifting a finger. "There are those 'other' that show up from time to time. No one can communicate with them. Like the Abyss." He blinked, putting a hand to his mouth. He had technically communicated with the Waterborne Abyss but not with words. "Anyway, so this boy...he could read and write in that 'language'. That really is amazing. And you showed him this seal. Then, what did he do?"

Jin Guangyao had his hands folded primly, waiting for the chatter to subside. "Hmm." He nodded once. "After nearly eating us out of rice, beating a few people up, and hoarding candy, he seemed to settle down. He was pleasant and kept himself clean. Within a few months, he was able to manifest his qi and after three months he was already learning sword arts. His sword is Jiangzai." He took a very deep breath and let it out slowly. "However, he _despised_ Jin Zixun. How they met I am not certain of but it was during Zixun's confinement. They exchanged words and hostility as Zixun looked down on him. That he was a mere gutter child who could, by no means, become equal. To be fair, talent-wise, Xue Yang exceeded Zixun's capacity but politically? It is a song I have heard as well. They clashed several times that I am aware of. Xue Yang was only prevented from causing mayhem because Zixun was put into a cell." He slumped. "From that point on Xue Yang did not tolerate associating with the other cultivators well and would often suspect them of insulting him behind his back or otherwise take offence to them."

"Well, we all have something wrong with us as humans." Wei Ying muttered. "But if it's to that extent, whatever Zixun said must have had a grain of truth. It's the truth that cuts the deepest. You can blow off someone who is just spouting nonsense. If you're genuinely better, you can just prove it. But if there is a kernel of merit then, somewhere in there, it'll sprout." He smiled introspectively as he turned to look at Lan Zhan's hands. He could see them without moving his head; they were comely and resting naturally on his knees. It gave him some comfort that those hands were nearby.

To hold him down if necessary.

Jin Guangyao tipped his head, also thinking on this. "Hmm. Well, I will take that into consideration, then. However, Xue Yang does not curb his tongue, or his sword, for anyone. At least you have the prudence to respect others. If you did not have family in the hall, perhaps you would not, though." Jin Guangyao looked to the side. "Since I am responsible for him, it is as if it were my doing. I feel that it would be unwise to discard this type of person easily or for any reason apart from genuine insanity." He dipped his head. "He is not here now, though. He went out and has not returned for ten days. So that means there is another person out there who can use demonic techniques. He will use them however he wishes, whenever he wishes. I hope that he is not involved in these matters, though." He put a hand to his chest. "He has so much potential and at times he did seem happy here."

"I see. He had resentment toward Jin Zixun and may have acted out against him." Lan Xichen nodded once. "It is well to find him and assure his safety, regardless. If Xue Yang is the perpetrator...?" He looked unhappy as he faced his junior.

"I understand." Jin Guangyao nodded once. "It was already a risk, taking him in. That the Sect Leader was drawn into this is also why I wished to speak to you privately. Xue Yang may have wanted to kill Zixun but he had never met the Sect Leader. Nor does Jin Zixuan know about him specifically. For the Sect Leader to have almost died in such a place puts an even heavier burden onto the guilty party and, in sort, they would be killed by the Jin Clan." He lifted a hand and put it to his chest. "Provided another cultivator does not exact their revenge first."

Wei Ying grinned for a moment. His felt that there was more, though, and folded his hands.

Lan Xichen was also waiting patiently.

"I...may have been targeted in another way," Guangyao said, very softly.

"You as well?!" Xichen asked, his brows drawing together.

"Yes. No one has cursed me or run at me with a sword. I doubt anyone would do that as I rarely leave this place. These days, I have become a bureaucrat, it seems." He shrugged. "I am suited for it but some still despise me for torturing their family members. I cannot fault them for that." He swallowed thickly. "There have been incidents that, if not handled in precisely the right way, would cause absolute ruin if not death. Not only for me but for my family. To what extent, I cannot know, but I would think I would have to entirely withdraw from politics."

Frowning, Wei Ying folded his arms. He did not understand most politics but he did understand bumping someone off with rumours or lies. He could grasp blackmail, too. All that meant there was something to grab hold of, though, some innate weakness. Just like with Xue Yang howling at the windbag called Jin Zixun, there was likely some such person flapping their gums about Jin Guangyao. He doubted if his work as a spy was anything anyone could use in that regard. "So," He looked up. "What is it, then? Something in your life that could affect not just you, but the entire family?"

He glared at the floor before turning to the papers on his desk sharply. "It is a very personal matter." He said, through his teeth. "So I would not like to say this more than once!"

"Understood." Wei Ying nodded once. "Nor will I repeat it."

They all took that vow so that he could breathe properly.

He fiddled with the portrait of his wife but then picked up the letter. "This is a blackmail letter, in the simplest phrase. It is probably not intended as such, though. So, in a few weeks, it could come out anyway. I wanted to be the one to speak on this to you, my esteemed brother, and to you two...who probably won't care about it as much as normal people." He worded it like that. "My wife is a good woman and this will harm her the most. I have done a rather despicable thing. Well, after I recovered from the war and had given up on trying demonic cultivation I felt it time to put aside such aspirations as immortality. I took a wife. I now have a son. My son will be three soon." He crushed the letter in his hands before plucking at it. "My son...is defective." He said it like that, his lips tight.

"Defective?" Xichen asked, very quietly. It was not the the normal way to describe one's child and his expression reflected this.

"He does not know me. He does not talk, either. You said a moment ago that language is what makes us human. Then, my son is not even at the level of a human." He slumped, leaning his head on his hand in exhaustion. "But, he is my son. What am I supposed to do with him, anyway? My wife merely dotes on him as a mother should. She had not noticed it yet or ignores it. I have been ignoring it as well." He looked at the letter. "But there is one person who will not ignore it. This is my mother-in-law. She sent me this letter and intends to bring out not only the defects of my A-Song but the reason for his defect."

"Reason?" Wei Ying swallowed, taking the letter from him before he ruined it. The word 'defective' hung on the air. If _his_ child was not-quite-right he would still love it. Boy, girl, pretty, not so pretty, smart, dull...those kinds of things were just up to fate. It could be caused by anything. There was never really any assurance that a child would be a special person and it was more likely they would have one or two limitations throughout their development. However, as he read the letter, he could not help but feel it was a tight and narrow road that Jin Guangyao was on and he looked down, licking his lips because he did not know precisely what to say.

Xichen took the letter as well, running his eyes over it. His eyes filled and he put a hand to his mouth as he lowered it. There was very little one could say, but he, at least, turned to his junior with forgiveness. He would not jilt someone he had called brother simply because of that! "Is this...the truth, A-Yao? You are brother and sister?"

"Well, that is one possibility." Jin Guangyao looked at his hands. "I could have reconciled to being her brother if I had not become her husband." He sighed, wording it oddly. "As this is vulgar talk, I will be plain. I found out about this when Madam Qin came to visit me the night before we were wed. A-Su was not there as we were separated per all formality and I could not even send her a letter without involving a lot of other people. Madam Qin was with her maid, Bicao, but Bicao would not approach me. If you will recall, Qin Cangye had resented my birth and did not wish us to wed, so when I saw that Madam Qin was quite hysterical, pacing around the garden, I believed it to be due to this. She would not come in or settle down. Instead, she stood with her back to me, bent forward and holding her skirt tightly, and told me that she had been raped by my father, Jin Guangshan. Obviously, this would have happened in their youth." He sat there, rather overly still, and let out a profound sigh. "Now, before you think me of that kind, I am proudly in support of women and women's rights in this society. I have seen the abuse of women and I know the pains that women can suffer because of male arrogance. However, I will not say any man in a rapist until I have heard both sides." He shut his eyes and swallowed. "So, I dismissed her! I did not want to believe that." He waved a hand before his face in dissent. "There were many things for not believing it and little proof it was true. The timing, her manner, my father's promiscuity. If he could pay for my mother's services, then why would he take another by force? Wine? Wine would rather make him impotent. On the other hand, I could not entirely dismiss her due to the severity of her reaction. For even more than twenty years after, she was physically stricken by recounting this matter to me. And that worried me. I felt the entire incident to be strange."

"It was the night before your wedding!" Wei Ying muttered, finding that pitiable. He could never condone taking by force. Once it happened, though, there was something of a condition that went with it. The most extreme being a child. If it was Jin Guangshan, then...it was hard to put him into that category because he was so flippant about it. He even engaged in duel cultivation! Comparatively, there were men just a few rooms away that Wei Ying just assumed had forced a few people, even if no one ever accused them. It was a difficult topic as there were no real laws around it and the shame was almost always put onto the woman for losing something, rather than the man for taking something. "I suppose that, after twenty, thirty, even forty years it would be hard to bring it all out and debate it. And it would only be a debate at that point. The child...is also an adult at that point." He put a hand to his chin. "And the only reason this needed to come up was that you happened to also be 'that person's' child. At least, according to her. I'm not sure how she would get the identity of such a person wrong, but..." He looked to the side. "...well, I guess as long as you are both happy it doesn't matter who or what the parents were."

Jin Guangyao blinked at him. Then he smiled. Just for a moment, it was a genuinely kind smile. "Thank you." He said. Then his expression hardened. "However, I have a child. Together with this woman who is possibly my half-sister. And that child is defective." He sighed, rubbing his brow. "Now, the debate would not be about rape but about incest. Because even if there was no relation and it is just a coincidence that A-Song is this way, I am the guilty party. I was told and I did not call off the wedding. And I did not call off the wedding, even simply to postpone it, because at that time A-Su was already carrying A-Song inside her."

At that point, there was nothing anyone could have done. Marrying her and providing for them both was the most honourable choice and the three of them give small bows to show their support of this decision.

"Yes." Guangyao nodded once. "I also think, even in retrospect, that that was for the best. For these three years, we have been blessed with a good and happy life. I...do not live with them. My wife is unaware of this matter, you see."

"Unaware?!" Xichen exclaimed. He immediately calmed himself and apologised for his outburst.

Lan Zhan had been keeping his face placid but he was also now looking up at Jin Guangyao, his brows pinched.

Wei Ying felt the nape hairs on his neck rise and the shiver went down his spine.

"A-Yao, that is the most suspicious thing that you have said! Why would Madam Qin tell you but not her daughter?! This makes no sense!" Lan Xichen was very troubled by it. "This vicious letter is unbecoming of anyone. If it comes out in this way, it will only be the worst parts and not the entirety of the situation! The victim here will be A-Song!" He had taken it in that direction.

"Yes, and to spare him that life..." Jin Guangyao looked tired, old, depressed...and absolutely ruthless. "...I would rather kill him myself."


	5. Family

Note: Xian Bai is not canon. I made her up.

* * *

It hung on the air and everyone shivered.

Wei Ying bit his lips. Could he do that? Did he have that steel? Did he even agree with that?! They were talking about a three-year-old child! Yet, when he really paired it down, they were not talking about a normal, healthy child. They were talking about a child that was weak. He was already bound for a harsh, difficult life. Probably, he would need someone to take care of him, like a parent, even when he was an adult. That would inspire some snide souls to comment. Jin Guangyao was prepared to shoulder that because he loved his son. Yet, beyond that, if A-Song became the 'incestuous creature' then...people might even abusive him physically or try to murder him.

Was that a life anyone wanted for their child?

Rubbing his face, Xichen let out a long, slow sigh. "First, please do not do anything like that for now." He said. It was clear he was feeling burdened. The man was as close to being a saint as possible for humankind. He accepted even the stranger half of humankind and tried to find the good in others. It was clearly a strain for him to treat such a candid statement without ire or bias and to accept it as it had been meant. He took a calming breath before he continued. "If it should come to a point where A-Song is not safe here, in Carp City, then I will bring him to the Cloud Recesses. He may live there his entire life if necessary." He smiled at Jin Guangyao kindly. "And to spare you and your wife, it could simply be said that he passed away from some natural cause later on." He gestured that aside with his benevolent smile.

Jin Guangyao turned, bowing over his knees. He really did not want to have to do such a thing. Even thinking it was clearly harder on him than any of his previous ordeals. When he straightened up, some of the burdens had been removed and he looked more like his usual self.

"Additionally," Xichen said, his tone lightening quite a lot. "Before we go any further, I think it would be correct to take this as it is. There are two different problems facing you. This matter of this letter and then the matter of your son's condition. Would you grant me permission to view A-Song? Here, in his normal area of play. While it is undoubtedly as you say, we should first access the child and affirm what _precisely_ is wrong with him." He frowned steeply and adjusted his hair and ribbons critically.

Considering that, Wei Ying nodded. "I also think that would be the correct 'first step'. I can ask Wen Qing to interview him if it is a medical concern." He lifted a hand. "And if not, then we can just play with him for a while. Um, well...he's three. Up until now, was he even old enough to know people?" He put a hand to his chin. "A-Yuan was aware of people quite young, as was I. But we both experienced extremes in our infanthood. Lan Zhan? Do you remember being two or younger?"

Wangji blinked at him, slowly. Then, as if he was quite clueless, he tipped his head. Slowly, he looked at his knees and swallowed. "I remember wearing a cloth around me and laying on my back." He said, softly. "And there were kind hands nearby. My brother was also nearby." He looked over. "That is the earliest memory that I have."

There was a pause, then Xichen chuckled. "Well, Wangji is actually why I would like to take a look at A-Song. Km, that is, you may not know this yourself, didi. It is true though. Wangji, you see," He turned back to Guangyao. "Can even remember being in his crib. He did not speak until he was nearly five, though. Being able to and having a reason to are worlds apart. Many of the children at the Cloud Recesses never speak. This is a consequence of our methods. Because the adults do not speak, so the children do not, either." He lifted a hand. "And as for not 'knowing' you, I'm curious about this point. What you have said, I believe."

Jin Guangyao was now also very curious. Although the expectation was that it was something he should have been able to do on his own, that was not very realistic. Being a 'first-time parent' he did not have any experience with young children. So, there was just going to be things he did not know. He did not even have the benefit of growing up with siblings.

Wondering what it was like to grow up in a brothel, Wei Ying bit his lower lip. For all the terrible things that had happened to him, there had been people at his sides. Some had left him along the way, as Madam Yu and Granny had left. Both in their own ways. Granny...he did miss her a lot. It had felt like she was his own grandmother. The wisdom that came from the elderly was priceless. He absently patted his chest as he had to put the thoughts of her aside. He walked beside Lan Zhan, while Guangyao led the way with Xichen at his side. They looked like brothers in a different way from how Xichen and Lan Zhan so closely resembled each other. Wei Ying pursed his lips. They did have almost identical faces, the Twin Jades. Yet, even as he scrutinized them, he did not feel any more attracted to Xichen or any less attracted to Lan Zhan. Blushing at these private thoughts, Wei Ying ignored the tightness in his chest and the headache and nausea and made himself walk independently...but he did manage to hook his littlest finger with Lan Zhan's.

Just for the short walk to the nursery.

It was a golden playground. Wei Ying staggered, not because of his condition but due to the excess. There were literally golden toys here! There were even toys with moving parts! He stared aghast at the life-size pony that dominated one corner. While the Cloud Recesses were Zen in their lack of toys and Burial Mound only had the humble toys crafted by parents, Wei Ying actually felt them far better than this gilded prison.

A-Song was with his nursemaid. It was late already for a child to be up but they were clearly quieting him down and preparing him for sleep. A-Yuan, at six, was usually already in bed at such an hour. The nursemaid handed him over to his father willingly, encouraging him to play with the child. At their request, she headed out for a breath of fresh air. Any child was a handful but one that was still an infant at three was even more so. He could sit up on his own and could move around as typical of his age. Yet, he was dazed and he did not acknowledge their presence much. Only if they picked him up did he cling on to them. When he was handed a toy directly, he had to focus on it before he could take it. He did not seem to know what to do with it once he did, either. Guangyao tried everything he could think of while remaining gentle, but the child only played and sucked on his fingers.

Watching him, Wei Ying felt uneasy. It was a little frightening. He was so...silent. He immediately noticed how isolated they both were. The desperate parent and the oblivious child. If he saw this child out in public...? No, he could not compare them! A child of such age in public could never be the same as the son of Jin Guangyao! Just the room alone proved that this child had been afforded everything that could possibly be bought to improve his development. Yet he was not responding to any of it!

Looking at Lan Zhan, Wei Ying saw that he had that helpless look. His face did not move around much. He was made up well, with a strong but smooth face and intense eyes that were, unlike most, light coloured. They were not really yellow, but they shown in the light as if tinted gold. Those eyes could look more demonic than his when he was stirred! Yet, he could also look so inexplicably sad, just by the light caught on his irises.

It was maddening that they were not alone or Wei Ying would have pounced on him.

Meanwhile, Xichen had been watching the child and had a very introspective look on his face. He turned to a nearby sideboard, where noisy toys were displaying and a metal serving tray held a set of cups. It had clearly been set there by the nurse. He very meticulously put the cups onto the table directly and picked up the tray. He examined it for a moment as if it were some rare artefact. Then he turned and very purposefully threw it onto the floor, right behind where A-Song was seated, facing away from him.

Jin Guangyao jumped. Wei Ying, who watched the entire thing, jumped with him, even though he knew it was coming. Lan Zhan shuddered and his fingers twitched. He disliked loud, abrasive sounds but he was also astonished to see his brother pick up a serving tray and throw in onto the floor. This bizarre conduct had all three of them looking at Lan Xichen as if he had lost his mind.

"Km, gentlemen..." Xichen indicated A-Song. "...this child is not dumb, he's deaf. Likely, he cannot hear much of anything and therefore has not learned language." He smiled at Jin Guangyao. "Has A-Song ever had his head under the water or fussed with his ears?"

Guangyao's eyes were very wide open and he licked his lips. His nostrils flared. Then he looked sharply at A-Song and his lip trembling ever-so-slightly. "Km, not to my knowledge. I've bathed him only once. Xiao Bai or A-Su normally handle that." He was muttering a little. "However, he did have a fever once. A normal cold, my wife said."

"Well, a normal cold can sometimes be enough," Xichen said. "I remember..." He turned to Wangji, speaking gently while in his presence. "...mother would not bathe you with your head under the water until you were two. In case the water got into your ears."

Wei Ying nodded. "Below three, even in Yunmeng, they don't swim." He lifted a finger. "I was four when I got there and I learnt to swim after that. I'd never been submerged until then. Jiang Cheng was three at the time and he hadn't been swimming yet."

They all considered this for a long moment.

Lan Zhan took a slightly deeper breath. "It is not conclusively a matter of incest." It was strange even hearing such a person as Hanguang-Jun say such a thing. "Rather, this is something that would be noticeable and explainable to others. It is a complaint anyone could have. Why has the mother not noticed this?"

It was a very sharp thing to ask but it was relevant. Jin Guangyao looked away. His expression was truly miserable. "I do not believe that Qin Su would lie about it or harm her child. It is probably only denial that there is anything wrong." He was not looking at anyone and had slouched considerably, even in his fine gold robes and precarious hat.

It was then that something occurred that changed the course of history. Wei Ying felt a shiver run up his spine. Without a doubt, A-Song had been ignoring them or uninterested in them. Yet as Jin Guangyao sat there in a dejected heap, A-Song turned his attention over and one small hand reached out to him. He even scooted closer. He was almost fussy! He seemed to be confused and his forehead dimples appeared as he frowned, his pudgy hand patting and plucking a the fluffy gold sleeves.

Biting his lip, Wei Ying tipped his head. "Um, I think he knows you're a person, at least." He commented. "This is not a nice question but has he ever, um, had 'normal toys'? Like, well, wicker dolls or a hoop or a drum?"

Jin Guangyao was hugging the child and trying to calm him down now. His expression was incredulous. "I don't spoil him!" He snapped. "All these things were already here!"

Chuckling, Wei Ying shook his head. "That's not my point. Like, well, I'm not a good example because I was homeless, but I just played with rocks and leaves. Or broken toys I found. They were all unique. Differently coloured from each other. I made up games because no one taught me precisely how to play." Wei Ying put a finger to his lips. "I'm not insulting you, but, well...Jin Guangyao, you look just like all the toys here. Gold all over. And you move around and make noise but so do they. Some of them do. He can't hear much. Not even loud noises. So not words, either. That's just a 'moving part', basically. It's possible that he's relating to people based on that? How he's, um, been taught to play with his toys? I'm sorry..." He shook his head, turning away as he began to vibrate and then to laugh.

He felt the disdain and chagrin from five feet away.

A rustle came from the hall and they all turned to look. Jin Guangyao stiffened and looked at the child in his arms. His eyes wavered. Then, he took a deep breath and nodded. He looked to Xichen for reassurance and it was given, without hesitation. At least to get them started, they were obligated to stay. It was very awkward to be privy to any conversation between spouses but this one...? Wei Ying looked at Lan Zhan and found he was clearly at his wit's end. Wanting to at least let him have a reprieve, Wei Ying tugged his sleeve. "I'm going to pass out soon." He said, bluntly. "No, we can't upset them. I'll stay. You go and get Wen Qing. I'll just rest as much as I can until you come back. Please, don't alert anyone to my condition at this point."

Lan Zhan immediately nodded and took his leave.

Jin Su, who was sometimes still called Qin Su, had a pleasant expression. She seemed delighted so many people were visiting her husband and playing with her son. She did run her eye over her child protectively but there was no strong bias. She trusted Lan Xichen as just about everyone did. Her worry was only normal as she looked at the Grandmaster of Demonic Arts, less than half a room away from her family, but she managed a polite smile and bowed. He nodded back, also smiling.

Jin Guangyao was a wonder at keeping his face straight. He could murder someone without changing his expression, with a smile, with tears, he was that kind of man. Although he was not evil, he was not good. The feeling that Wei Ying got from him, was that he was purely human. He could go either way. He could change back and forth. Perhaps, from one minute to the next. It made him very dangerous and very powerful. He was to be admired on many points, not all negative.

When he had Xichen close the doors, shutting out the nurse, Jin Su's smile disappeared. She put a hand to her chest and picked up A-Song. After a moment, she nodded; she would hear them. Her eyes were wavering, trying to fore think what dreadful news they were going to spring on her. Her mother had been chronically ill. Her father often when on Night Hunts. There were all those other people in her life, women she loved and admired. The most important thing was her husband and her son, but the clan as a whole was also important. She knew that something had happened to the Sect Leader...if he died or was crippled, her husband would take his place.

She had good reason to brace herself.

"There is no easy way to say it, dear, so I will say it bluntly." Jin Guangyao said, in his lighter tone. As if it were not so much of a burden after all. Despite having spoken so emotionally before, he did not let her hear his weakness at all. "A-Song is deaf."

There was a long pause before she blinked several times. She looked at him, then at Lan Xichen, then at the infant in her arms. "Huh?" She was clearly caught off guard. "Dear, what are you saying? A-Song..."

"He cannot hear." Jin Guangyao reiterated. "We tested it. Even when a loud noise came behind him, he did not notice it. Have you not noticed? Not even a little? I think that, perhaps, you have. I also did not speak about it." He turned the blame onto himself. "I did not want to acknowledge it, so I did not speak on it. It is now to a point that that cannot be. If he can be cured, then it will be made so. If not..." He sighed, suppressing all his pent up emotions. "...then we will do everything we have to do."

Again, a shiver went up Wei Ying's spine. He thought, almost arbitrarily, that if anyone had harmed A-Song with the intention of getting at Jin Guangyao, they would have done something far worse than Wen Ruohan had ever accomplished. That was how frightening the look in Jin Guangyao's eyes was as he smiled and put his hand on his son's head.

Luckily, Lan Xichen was present. "A-Yao." He said, pulling him back out of his dark reverie. "It is entirely possible it is curable. Let us discuss this with Wen Qing." He nodded in encouragement.

Slowly, Jin Guangyao looked at his wife. She was worried about her child now but she glanced over, expectantly. "Yes?" She asked. "You would not involve Lan Xichen and Wei Wuxian if it were only that our child is hard of hearing." She wiped a tear away from her cheek. "I am not an overly intelligent woman, dear, but I am not stupid, either."

Biting his lips, Wei Ying looked away sharply. It hurt his chest to suppress his laughter but he managed to hold most of it back.

After adjusting his hat, Jin Guangyao took a deep breath and let it out. It was actually much harder for him to speak the rest. He even gave a false start. In the end, he took out the letter; he had somehow got hold of it again and slipped it into his sleeve pocket. "I received this from your mother." He said, very quietly. "It would seem...that she is under that belief..."

Jin Su looked over the letter. Her expression drew in at first. Then she frowned and she sucked her front teeth, obviously perplexed. "And you...?" She looked at him. "Does this change how you think of me?"

He was clearly astonished. "No." His response was almost too blunt. "It posses certain logistical and...political...problems. If it is true."

She looked at A-Song for a moment, putting the pieces together. Her expression was unhappy but not disgusted or hateful. Abruptly, she looked over and shrugged. "Then it is of utterly not import." She said. "These kinds of things, they happen. It is not as though it has never happened before, either. The trouble is only that this is a very spiteful, jealous letter. This is not something my mother would write, even if she is ill. A-Yao, my mother is dying." She said it like that. "I want to visit her as much as I can before we cannot see each other ever again. I want A-Song to remember even a little of her. But, she is very desperately ill. She's not always in her right mind, either. Oh, because of the tincture." She gestured. "She has pain in her joints now and there are illnesses that take all happiness away." She heaved a sigh. "So if it were her, I would know it. Someone else has written this."


	6. Innocence

泽芜君, Zéwú-jūn – Lan Xichen

Zhaoshan (罩衫) – long open-fronted coat

* * *

Wei Ying felt relieved as Lan Zhan returned with Wen Qing. Wen Qing went over, running her eyes over him as she passed. She moved purposefully as usual and settled beside Jin Su. Once she got an approving nod from both parents, she began her exam. She had a pleasant smile and seemed happy to look at a cute baby. She waggled her fingers at him, distracting him as she checked his eyes and mouth and ears. She felt at his ear bumps for a while. Now and then she would ask a very simple question. Finally, she put her hand over his head and let some of her qi spill out. It was as gentle as silk and while it startled him, he seemed delighted by this new thing he was seeing. Enough so that he reacted to it and even clapped his hands.

"Yes, his hearing is impaired. Probably from an infection of the inner ear. It can happen without additional symptoms but...well, normally the primary caregiver would notice that he's just not responding." She frowned at Jin Guangyao for a moment but moved on without lingering on that point. "Prognosis is good. You've caught it within the critical time frame. Children learn the most from one to four and that is also their most critical developmental period, post-birth. Qi Gong is suitable for this ailment but it should be done slowly, over a year, so that it does not affect the rest of his development. Together with support from you and his other caregivers, he'll likely live a normal life. I'll visit you every six weeks to assess him."

Both parents were relieved, to say the least. Wen Qing gave them some further information, cautioning them not to expect miracles. She was a practical woman and she made it plain that even with treatment, he might always hear differently form others. Thus, the best thing they could provide him with was love and acceptance...and playmates. He needed to learn to put up with it, to work around it, to overcome it. She also seemed to find the playroom somewhat alarming.

Although he wanted to stay and hear every detail, Wei Ying felt he was no longer needed and got up. He felt unsteady. He was lightheaded and his chest hurt. Slowly, he moved to the door and then slipped out. Leaving Wen Qing and Lan Xichen to take care of the small family. Lan Zhan was eyeing him, wise to his condition, and put a hand on the small of his back. A little qi came into him that warmed him...but it also made is legs give out on him. Lan Zhan supported him on his arm but when he did not recover, he immediately picked him up.

They returned to their rooms in this way but luckily met no one.

Laid down gently, Wei Ying let himself be cared for as he thought over everything he knew so far. While Lan Zhan modestly opened his robes and undid the bandages around his whole torso, he just let his mind drift. The Jin Clan was basically at the top of the cultivational world at the moment. With Guangshan holding the title of Chief Cultivator, an accusation of rape would cause some scandal. Wei Ying did not know to what extent something from thirty years ago would matter now, though. Perhaps only the manner of how it came to light would decide how people responded. Wei Ying wanted to know if there had been any strike against Guangshan directly. He also did not discount him as a possible enemy.

Wei Ying had found Jin Su's reaction to the letter rather refreshing; it was like a woman to be that practical! He wondered how Madam Yu and Yanli would react in such circumstances. There was no way he could picture Madam Yu being a victim. If she was ever physically overpowered, he could only imagine she would bite out her tongue. That stern, cold, uncompromising woman was simply not a victim! Yanli, however, he could not say the same thing about her! That worried him! In such matters, it was mostly a contest of physical strength rather than wit or reason, and Yanli was not that strong. He could not see her biting her tongue, either. So, if she were in that situation...would she tell Jin Zixuan?

Would she tell her child?

Would he?

The question flashed through his mind and he felt his brows twitch. He had never given that a second thought because he was a man, but...but...if it was only a matter of physical strength, then he could not say he was any better off. While it made him uncomfortable, when he thought about Lan Zhan's almost inhuman strength he knew who the victor would be. He could not conceive a child but if that were his reality...he supposed that, for him, with his personality, he would just take care of it. To him, there could be no compromise when it came to his child. Whether an adopted one or of his blood. He swallowed the bitterness of knowing there would be no children of his bloodline and turned his thought away from such morbid thinking.

There were some interesting points in the tale Jin Guangyao had forced onto them. He knew precisely why he had been called in when Lan Xichen would have been good enough for the matter with A-Song. "This Xue Yang..." Wei Ying muttered as the cover was drawn over him. "...I'm curious about him. A mind like his comes around rarely but...such people are often sadistic and cause chaos. There is also Mo Xuanyu. I've only met him once and I thought he was a bit younger or more fragile in his mind than was suitable for this side." He swallowed the medicine Wen Qing had wisely given to Lan Zhan. They both knew him well. If Lan Zhan was the one giving it, he would even drink poison. He knew that would never happen, though. Smiling, he turned his head a little more and caught Lan Zhan's hand. "You'll stay with me?"

"Hm." Lan Zhan nodded once. It was late already but he was sitting up, watching over the room, rather than laying down to sleep. He normally went to sleep strictly at nine, but when there was cause for it, he would sit up the whole night without rest. It normally did not affect him the following day, either.

Drifting in dreams, Wei Ying did not rest well. Even with Lan Zhan at his side, he could not seem to see any pleasant pictures. His thoughts kept interrupting his dreams. He was uncomfortable on his back but he could not curl up onto his side as he usually did. He tended to nest in his covers and slept in any position whatsoever. He chewed the cover until Lan Zhan tugged it away from his mouth. He felt an arm slide under his neck and pull him up. For a moment, he had no idea what Lan Zhan was up to, as he was not the type to disturb a sleeping person. Then he felt the warm contour of a shoulder and arm under his ear. A blanket was drawn over him, tucked over his own shoulder. He was basically sitting up but he was reclining onto Lan Zhan's chest; it was very comfortable and his body relaxed considerably. He had not even realized how tense he had gotten. He could hear Lan Zhan's heart, just inches from his ear. The sound echoed his own heart and slowly, his heart began to beat in time with his.

He woke up eight hours later. It was the sixth hour after dawn. Diffused light was coming in but the room was mostly dim, so a single light was flickering on the far side of Lan Zhan.

Lan Zhan was managing to read a book while trapped in such an awkward position. Where he got these books from, Wei Ying had long since given up trying to deduce. He just had them. It was one of the things that made him, him. Smiling, turning his head to nuzzle his neck a little, Wei Ying slowly moved his arms and sat up on his own. He pulled the blanket around himself like a mantel and wiped the sleep from his eyes. He needed more rest, assuredly, but he also felt hungry. He supposed Lan Zhan also felt hunger but it just didn't show on his face.

They looked at each other for a few moments. It was a rather full silence. Although there was two feet space between them, their eyes did all kinds of damage. They were not in their own place and it would be inappropriate to do anything frisky as such. Just holding hands was enough. Yet, if he could think it, then he could convey it and his cheeks turned faintly pink as a result.

A tap came to the door and they both obediently dropped their unspoken conversation and turned to look, somewhat regretfully, at the door. Wei Ying did not think it was Lan Xichen. Nor did he sense Jin Guangyao. There was a softer, meeker presence out there. Yet they were not so meek as to loiter in the hall, they had come right up to the inner door. Curious, Wei Ying moved to the bed and tidied his clothes a bit, while Lan Zhan remained looking immaculate at the side. "Someday, I will learn your secrets on that." Wei Ying muttered, a little annoyed with how he was always the dishevelled one.

"Enter." Lan Zhan said, ignoring his comment.

The door slid open just an inch and a round, dark grey eye peeked in above a blushing cheek. When the owner of this eye observed that it was fine to do so, they slid the door open around two inches. This tiny space was rather awkward. Delicate fingers were holding the edge of the door from under a pale sleeve adorned with poppies and other flowers. It was not a male garment, certainly. Yet the wearer was a thin, almost skinny male of perhaps sixteen. He knelt there, shaking from nervous tension, and only when he had his eyes on the floor did he open the door any further. He had two trays with a set meal on them and indicated he had brought them in with him.

"Mo Xuanyu...?" Wei Ying asked. Somewhere in the back of his mind, or some fragment of his soul, he felt a connection with this boy. He could not explain that even to himself. They were in no way similar, aside from their predisposition for Yin Cultivation. To sum it up, this lad was a cut-sleeve. He was not just attracted to men but effeminate and a little...odd...in his mannerisms. Even most women did not act 'like that', so he could not find inclusion with either gender. Rumours had it that he had twice fallen in love and been rejected somewhat brutally. As he was cultivating the dark side, that was likely part of it, but the real and greater issue was that Mo Xuanyu was just sixteen and probably did not fully comprehend the difference between attraction and love. Nor did he seem to have much confidence in himself or his abilities, despite his brother even giving him his cultivation tools. "Come in. It is not necessary to remain out there if you have something to say. You can just say it plainly in front of us." He glanced at Lan Zhan.

Of course, he was approving...or perhaps he was more hungry than he let on.

First, Mo Xuanyu brought them each their tray and poured tea for them. Then he settled on his knees and toes as if he were a servant. He had been acknowledged to a greater extent than the other illegitimate sons which had inspired some people to question the relation between Jin Guangshan and this boy's mother, Second Madam of Mo. Wei Ying did not know anything about that situation and was not really interested, yet he was curious about this lad's cultivation and if he was really as good at it as Guangyao had implied. Looking at him in the Sparks Amidst Snow and flowered Zhaoshan, he looked more like a maiden than a young master. He had even applied white powder to his face and rouge to his lips!

Feeling somewhat sorry for Jin Guangyao, who had been his surrogate parent by default, Wei Ying glanced at Lan Zhan. He could see that Lan Zhan was oblivious or choosing to ignore the boy's odd appearance. In any case, Mo Xuanyu did not seem likely to speak until they had both eaten so they made quick work of their trays and set them aside.

Xuanyu seemed satisfied with that and stacked the trays beside the door. "Um..." He turned sharply, bowing over his knees. "I'm sorry!"

Biting his lips, feeling that this was going to become tedious, Wei Ying took a soothing breath. "Accepted." He said, firmly, so as to get that out of the way. "Now, what are you apologising for?"

"Well, because I think it's my fault that Yang-shi has gone out. I heard Shi-Xiong talking to Zéwú-jūn about it." He pouted, fiddling with his hair and his sleeve like an anxious girl. "Xiong is very intelligent. He's the best at everything, you know! Zéwú-jūn is young but wise. He is always giving brother advice. I admire them both! Sect Leader is sharp and it is hard to be close with him. Sister-in-Law is beautiful and kind. She gave me this robe!" He showed them the sleeves but then he realised what he had said and blushed scarlet. "Excuse me, that's unimportant. I was talking about Xue Yang. I should not have told him what I told him, I think; he became very odd and muttered and then gave me some candy! He is always hoarding and stashing candy in his pockets! Well," He pouted again. "I think he was going to do something bad."

Putting a hand to his face, Wei Ying rubbed his third eye as it began to throb. He had heard some incoherent and garbled statements but this child had made it an art form. "Start from the beginning. You are telling us so you believe this involves us. Is that correct?"

"Yes." He nodded.

"What did you talk to him about?" Wei Ying folded his arms over his chest. "And when did this take place?"

"It was...two weeks ago. It started from before then, though." Mo Xuanyu looked down, tears welling up in his eyes. "You see, um, well...I was bullied a little by some of the others. I know why they do it but I still do not like that they do it. I just like pretty things." He shrugged, looking at the robe he was wearing. "And so I was crying and he gave me some candy. He seemed to think it was funny. That is how I met Xue Yang. I started calling him brother because he is a year older than me and much smarter and stronger, too. He knows all kinds of things! Elder Brother also seems to like him." He frowned pushing his forefingers together awkwardly. "Km, but then, we started to talk about thing perhaps I should not have talked about."

"What is that?" Wei Ying asked, almost at the end of his patience.

"That is, we talked about you." Mo Xuanyu said, blinking rapidly and managing somehow to suck his head in so that it appeared his neck half disappeared. It was a reflex born form avoiding blows to his head and neck, likely developed before he had been walking. "And about the sect and other people. Mostly about you. At first, it was only about 'Yiling Patriarch' but then it became about 'you', Wei Wuxian. Because he talked to me so I just talked about anything!" He waved his hands.

Pursing his lips, Wei Ying took another deep breath. "And you know me so well." He muttered, looking aside. "What did you talk about, I wonder? Surely, anyone could tell him the obvious facts."

"Oh, no! We talked about how you were a Young Gentleman and that you even controlled that amazing thing, The Abyss, during the war!" Mo Xuanyu's eyes lit up and became sparkling. "You know that they have even written stories about you?! That you could fly in the sky and could teleport to a far-away place or kill people just by looking at them!"

Appalled, Wei Ying smacked his forehead. "I have never killed anyone just by looking at them!" He muttered, feeling a little sick just at the thought. "Why would you or Xue Yang find this so fascinating?!"

"Xue Yang said that if there was no Wei Wuxian then he could be the Grandmaster." Mo Xuanyu abruptly dropped a bomb on them without changing his innocent expression. "It was a little creepy how he said it with a straight face. Well, I just said that was silly because there is a Wei Wuxian. He agreed that it was just 'the order of our birth'. Actually, I didn't know what that meant but I pretended that I did!" He dropped his voice at this and sighed. "Um, well, that is my relationship with Xue Yang. Two weeks ago, I did a bad thing. I complained about it to brother Yang and..." He bit his lip. "...maybe he went out because of that!"

"Mo Xuanyu, I can't help you if you don't get to the point." Wei Ying finally said, drumming his fingers on the cover over him. He could now only admire Jin Guangyao for putting up with this boy. He was almost insufferable!

"Oh!" Mo Xuanyu started and put a hand to his mouth. Then, he lowered it and put his hand into his sleeve. "It is because of this." He drew out a small black blob. It quivered and then reached out armatures to grab the edges of his sleeve, trying to hide within the cloth again. "Brother Yang was delighted! He could also make them from when he first began to cultivate. He is better at it than I am." He smiled at the thing on his palm. "Well, when I complained to him about my situation, he said that I could just feed them to this thing. I did not think he was serious about that but then I realised that he actually was."

Stunned, Wei Ying noted that even Lan Zhan was aghast. "I see." Wei Ying managed to keep himself calm but he was really trembling. He could make darklings from his own blood and hair. It was not a painful process but it did cost him blood and hair, so there was some loss involved. If he made too many, too close together, he might even pass out. So far, out of all the people he had taught Yin Cultivation, no one had been able to make a darkling. They just ended up hurting themselves and becoming frustrated. He pointed to it as it wrapped the edge of the sleeve around itself and nested there. "Yours is quite conspicuous. It's developing a sense of self. You either need to destroy it in the next few days or you'll have to take responsibility for it when emotions develop."

Mo Xuanyu frowned, blinking at him. "Oh, I don't mind this little one. I was lonely before but now I am not so lonely. I don't think it's ugly, either." He smiled at it, treating it like a pet. "Oh! I am not going to feed any people to it! I only feed it table scraps!" He waved his hands as if he thought that was why they were staring at him. "Even if I don't like someone I would not feed them to this thing! That would be...rather difficult, I think." He shook his head. "I think he does feed his animals or maybe people. He Night Hunts on his own and he would play with the zombies he brought back. Um, well...sometimes they were not actually zombies, though. They were just under corpse poisoning. He would stab them or practice his cultivation on them. It was quite horrible." He looked down, his expression mournful but not that sympathetic.

There was something wrong with him.

Wei Ying understood it totally that this boy had something wrong with him and he looked at Lan Zhan to confirm it. Lan Zhan was glowering a little. While talk of righteousness was really a debate of points of view, there was something called a conscience. A moral limit that prevented humans from really being monsters. Wei Ying thought he was less moral than perhaps other men but he did not do anything without cause. He paid it back, too. Yet, from what he grasped, Mo Xuanyu was still too childlike. He did not show any remorse or regret in his eyes; they looked up, wide and wondering, as if everything was just another marvel or miracle. In the three years he had been in the Jin Sect he had not mentally matured much.

Swallowing, Wei Ying took as deep a breath as he could. He did not want to break this boy and take that wonder away from him. On the other hand, he thought it was probably better that he did it than Nie Mengjue or Lan Qi Ren. Or even Madam Yu and Jiang Cheng. If it came down to it, any of them were ready to kill demonic cultivators on principal. "Do not tell anyone about that thing." Wei Ying said, as a command. "Xuanyu, you need to understand that that is a rare gift. It's not something just anyone can do. If you lose control of it, even for a moment, it will seek to nourish itself. It could attack and eat people. Your talent, your appearance, your preferences, your surname, none of that are as important as your responsibility. Because you created that thing so it's even more closely related to you than a child would be. Do you understand me?"

He nodded once, biting his lower lip.

"Good." Wei Ying put a hand to his chest for a moment, making himself stay relaxed. "As for this Xue Yang, that is very important information. Thank you for telling us. Why did you think this involved us, though?"

"Oh! Well, I heard Shi-Xiong talking about it. I was spying on the assembly," He hunched up again but when no one lashed out at him, he relaxed. "Jin Zixun is dead and many other people with him. And everyone thought it was Wei Wuxian that did it, but I think it could have been Xue Yang." He chewed his lip. "Zixun said something nasty to him; that he was just a gutter rat. Lesser even than a rodent, really. It is the one thing that you should never say to Xue Yang! He is like another person, suddenly! He is so handsome but he is very scary when he is insulted about being from the streets." Mo Xuanyu frowned, his expression becoming very sharp and critical. "It is a rude thing to say anyway! Zixun should have known better! I wanted to hit him too but I was afraid to. He was much bigger than me, you know! He was bigger than Brother Yang, too, but Brother Yang is not afraid of anyone, bigger or smaller! He put his fingers right to Zixun's head and said that if it was a matter of cultivation, he was many times better. Zixun's nose was bleeding." He seemed to approve and wiggled his shoulders a little before he settled down.

"And this was two weeks ago?" Wei Ying asked, fiddling with his covers.

Xuanyu smiled sadly as he looked down. "Yes. Both what I said about wanting to hurt those people...and then Zixun saying such nasty things! Brother Yang has not been back since then, either! He was nice to me. I think it is my fault..." He seemed to genuinely think it worked that way.

"No." Lan Zhan put in. "It is not."

Xuanyu blushed again, smiling innocently at them.

Once he was gone, Wei Ying let out a sigh and rubbed his face. "No wonder Guangyao was ripping his hair out! That boy is so powerful but he's got the mentality of a nine-year-old!" He ran his eyes over the ceiling. "I don't act like that, right? That's not how people see me, right?" He looked at his hands. "What 'disposition', I wonder? Mo Xuanyu is...is..." He searched for a word but found only rather bad ones in his lexicon and dropped it. He turned to Lan Zhan, taking his hand for support. "It would seem that this Xue Yang is attempting to base his cultivation off of mine. There is really nothing I can say to that if there is a need. However, this tale troubles me. These zombies..." He bit his lip. "...if they were just naturally occurring zombies then that is one thing, if unpleasant. But if they were created, or as Xuanyu said, not actually zombies, then that is something even I will not overlook."

"That would account for the missing cultivators." Lan Zhan said, softly. "There is a lack of information, though."

"Well," Wei Ying put a finger to his lips. "Xue Yang might come out if we tell him 'Wei Wuxian is here!'. He, by himself, however genius, could not pull all of this off. He used Jin Guangyao's programme for his own benefit. Why would he bite the hand that feeds him, literally, and target Jin Zixuan? Unless we have to people. Xue Yang could have targeted Zixun, but not Zixuan, as according to Guangyao he did not know the later. Xuanyu did not mention the Sect Leader either. Then, Xue Yang's only possible motive would be a roundabout way of helping Jin Guangyao. That makes me uneasy. It's almost obsessive." He paused, swallowing thickly. "And, in that case, it was not he who wrote that letter but another. If this young master does see Guangyao as his benefactor, then the writer is likely the next person on Mr Yang's hitlist."

Lan Zhan narrowed his eyes and nodded once.


	7. Impetuous

Wei Ying stood after Lan Zhan had secured his hair. He felt weaker than usual but he trusted Lan Zhan to keep his back safe. He was prepared to even throw himself into hell if he thought Lan Zhan was in any real danger. It was not likely to happen there in Carp Tower but he could also no longer trust the event-map in his psyche. The timeline was way off. He had believed that he had prevented Jin Zixuan's death but in fact, he had only postponed in. He had created means of 'fixing it' since his transregression, too.

Someone things had worked out. He did not like that he had been pushed to such extremes and it felt like he was on the defensive. Smiling at Lan Zhan as he adjusted his robe and hair ribbon, Wei Ying could only bask in the glory of having such a person at his side.

They were heading out that afternoon. LanlingJin Palace was still not so hospitable to a demonic cultivator that they could stay there more than one night. Before he left he wanted to see Yanli, though, so they took the walk around to where she was living. She had been living there for two years and Jin Ling was already crawling. That was also different from that 'before' he knew he needed to let go of. He needed to stop comparing the two realities. He needed to...

His sensed were prickled by a sense of hostility and he shifted his attention to the person guiding them. The servant kept shooting them little glances, clearly disapproving of them. Despite their very chaste and modest night, they had shared a room. Wei Ying smiled mockingly at her as she glared at them, so that she clucked her togue and left in a huff. "Charming woman." He muttered, turning to the flowering courtyard where Yanli was waiting. They met half-way, clasping hands eagerly. Although they left a good two feet between them for comfortable space, they were closer together than any man and woman would normally be above seven years of age. For her to be married and him not to be was another thing that made their touchiness uncomfortable for many people. It was the same thing as Wen Qing being nearby him; some people just could not accept that Yanli was his sister because there was no blood relation between them.

Yanli had fully grown up after having a child. Her figure was still slim but no longer maidenly. She had a slightly rounder face. She was still very comely; some said she had even become more beautiful after motherhood. Her simply tastes had not changed and she wore little paint. As the Sect Leader's wife, she wore a metal hair piece with the peony motif. Her girdle also held this. Her gown was lavender and she wore a gold Zhaoshan over it, but tastefully tucked into her wide belt. The entire ensemble seemed to hover around her while she, herself, was still the frank and modest girl he had always known.

"Shidi." He said, smiling at her. "I came with good news."

"Oh?!" She brightened up, putting her hands up with a questioning look toward Lan Zhan. She could basically read his expressions by now but she studied him for a moment to make sure. He even nodded to her. "That's wonderful, A-xian! Then, we will all be family together! I'm just so happy. A-zi...I will tell him later on." She looked to the side, assuming a bemused expression. "He is still in bed because his head had pained him. Really, he is more delicate even that I am at times! Well, it is like that." She sighed, shaking her head as she lamented her husband's innate fragility and lack of pain tolerance. "Surely, you must show me your wedding costumes! I will make sure you have proper portraiture done! You will both look so handsome." Putting a finger to her chin, she looked up. They were in the open courtyard outside her residence, where a table was set up with tea for all three of them. She moved to this to take a seat. "I would think it's an impertinent thing to say but I surely cannot picture Lan Wangji wearing a dress and veil, A-xian."

Stumbling, actually skipping a step, Wei Ying glanced at Lan Zhan. "I don't know..." He said, tipping his head. "Personally, I think Lan Wangji is one of those annoying people who would look good in anything." He gestured with a flippant hand. "No, of course not. I will wear the veil. However, I think it would be fine if I wore a typical wedding _suit_. The thing is, I'm not a woman. There's no point in encouraging anymore of that nonsense!" He took a seat, holding his chest for just a second.

It was less time than could be called noticeable but Yanli's mouth pouted and she reached out to pull the edge of his robe back. Only a little. Her eyes flickered with worry and fear. She let out a sigh. "I wish we could take care of you, as we once did. Ah, you have someone else at your side now. That is right and good! It is just a little lonely, though." She turned to her tea, smiling at it. She picked up the cup, slipping her hand under it to support it and tipped it toward her lips.

Wei Ying let out a small sigh, feeling loved by that statement. In the next instant, a thread of apprehension welled up and he reached out, taking the cup from her. It was a movement he made out of instinct. Examining the cup, he let his Yin-Mo Eye well up. Lan Zhan was looking sideways at him, not showing in his posture or even his expression the tension that he was now feeling. "Yanli, who made the tea?" Wei Ying asked, softly. "Did you drink this?"

"N-no. Not yet." She swallowed. "It was poured for me by the servant. A new girl, actually. She came in two weeks ago, now. She did not seem like a bad person." She put a hand to her face, holding her fluffy sleeve back form the table out of habit. "Is there something wrong with it?"

"It has a weed in it. An itching nettle, I should say. Nothing overly dangerous but...it is not suitable for brewing." He replied, softly. Setting the cup down, he leant on the table. "It's probably not meant for you. Ah, the timing." He could not help but heave a sigh. It was a bitter thing and he reached out to pat her hand gently. "I'll take my leave. When we set a day, I'll send you an owl. It will probably be in Yiling or Gusu."

She was holding back her tears over the tea and put on a smile. "Yes. I will come!" She held his hand as she got to her feet. "And I will bring A-Cheng, even if I have to bring him in a sack!"

Laughing at that, Wei Ying left her and moved to the hall. There, he vented his emotions for a moment by cursing and stomping his foot. He could do nothing else about it. "It's not like it would be fatal, but...really!"

"Two weeks is an ominous time." Lan Zhan put in, softly.

"Yes. Everything seems to have begun around then." Wei Ying frowned as he thought that over. "You know, it's probably nothing but it could be something. I'll say this, I'm not rational when it comes to Yanli." He started walking, running his fingertips along the wall beside him. "I think it could drive me completely insane. Lan Zhan, I tell you because you are my leash. I know it and you know it. Yanli is half sister to me but she is more like my mother," He turned, putting his hand on Lan Zhan's chest. "I worry that there will be some shadow over her in the future and I will not be able to do anything to stop it."

Lan Zhan blinked slowly. He lifted his hand and clasp the fingers on his chest. "I am with you." He said, very earnestly. It was so sincere that the sentiment reached beyond the meaning of the words.

Nodding, Wei Ying turned to follow the corridor to another courtyard. The inner part of the palace here was maze-like for the very purpose of getting people unfamiliar with the hallways lost. To hopefully at least delay thieves or intruders. He could not really get lost, though. His Yin qi connected to that in the earth and guided him. If he were to get lost, it would only be the result of some damage to his soul or his brain. Lan Zhan kept up with him, likely having simply memorized the entirety of the palace from long ago.

Jin Guangyao was in the outer hall, speaking to the unattractive servant. He had that poised, fake smile on his face. Everything about him made her blush and smile but it really appeared as if he was disgusted with her existence and wanted her to disappear. She bowed to him and left hurriedly, still smiling. He dropped his smile and sighed, even touching his temple for a moment. It was quite telling. His eyes shifted and he looked at them sharply. "Ah, you were not long."

"We weren't precisely made welcome." Wei Ying replied, also smiling. "Jin Guangyao, do not do anything to my sister." He just said it outright. "Okay?"

He was very, very still. It appeared that Guangyao was beyond simply taking the warning to heart, he was trying to ascertain just how critical a level of danger he was in. His eyes shifted to the hall they had come from and his lips tightened almost imperceptibly. "I see." He said, looking down. It was an icy tone that belied something sinister and feral. "I will make sure to keep that in the forefront of my thoughts."

He gave a little bow as he tacitly retreated.

Wen Qing wanted to take Wen Ning home and he was worried about his wife, in any case, so Wei Ying nodded. They went back by worm-hole. It was easier for him, too, given his condition. There, he ate, rested, bathed, and took his medicine to their dictation. It made them all much more comfortable that he was resting. Yet he could not rest forever and he was not the type to stay idle when there was a threat, even a potential threat, to his people.

His chest was sealed but the wound was dark in colour and not fully mended. He figured another two or three days would be enough. The scar might remain for a few months. He could feel it, like something itching him, as the things nesting in his body worked relentlessly to repair the damage. He could speed up the process in several ways but he disliked all of them. He had not told Wen Qing or Lan Zhan about those methods, such as ingesting flesh or blood, bathing in blood, or absorbing other's golden cores. Those were all things he considered morally unjustifiable, since he would survive without them.

Moving out of the Demon Slaughtering Cave, Wei Ying turned to Lan Zhan. "We need to get some information on Xue Yang's whereabouts. I think it would be well to have a talk with Nie Mengjue. That man will be honest to a fault." He put a hand to his chin, curious about why the Nie clan had been so obviously left out of the strife and turmoil. Even during the war years, they had been strangely fortunate, despite Mengjue getting captured; he had only narrowly avoided being tortured, but through some coincidences and contrivances, Wei Ying had been able to use his darklings to help him out. Of course, Mengjue himself was unaware of this. Of his younger brother, Wei Ying was not as certain, since his idolizing eyes could see quite a lot when he was in the mood.

When he was not in the mood, though, Nie Huaisang could be somewhat difficult and disagreeable. He was at least better than Mo Xuanyu. Wei Ying smile, leaning against Lan Zhan's shoulder. He did not bother to travel by worm hole when they were not headed through enemy territory. Nie Huaisang had always been adamant about them being his friends and older brothers, even when others disparaged him for it. Jin Zixun had once verbally shredded the timid Nie brother and been punched in the face by several of his elders. Wei Ying scowled as he thought about this. If he counted it on his hands, there was almost no one who had insulted Nie Huaisang who did not have something terrible befall them later on, although it appeared to be only by coincidence.

"A formidable power." Wei Ying mutter to himself, feeling that just as some people had all the luck, Huaisang had something else. Indeed, as soon as they arrived, Nie Huaisang came rushing out to greet them. He carried a fan, as usual, but there were blushes on his cheeks. He chattered to the attendant with him, who was carrying a wooden box, and the man discretely headed off into the depths of the house. "He's like a small animal." Wei Ying muttered, observing him from afar for the first time in a while.

Lan Zhan looked at him sideways, then back at Huaisang. He nodded once in agreement.

"Lan Shi-Xiong, Wei-gege...it's wonderful that we can meet again so soon." He said, smiling happily at them. "I know, you probably have serious stuff to talk to my brother about. But, I also would like to be in your company for a while. It is...a little awkward at the moment. I obtained rare pottery, you see. An expensive tea bowl. It is perhaps only one of five left from that era. I like it very much. Of course, brother only sees it as a silly thing." He sighed, rubbing his third eye chakra. "Why can he not understand that, even if I do cultivate, I can still enjoy pottery?"

"He's not still threatening you, is he?" Wei Ying asked. "You are no longer a child and can do as you like with your allowance!" He folded his arms, finding that uncomfortable. "But, yes. I do need to pick his brain about something. It might make him quite cross, too."

"Thank you, Wei-gege. Brother is in the courtyard practicing his cutting." Huaisang swallowed thickly as he said it, his eyes becoming distance. He did not carry a sword on his person, not of his clan's sabre style nor of the more elegant style most people carried. It had always been a bone of contention between him and his elder brother. During Huiasang's youth, he had fallen into a extreme depression and almost called it quits with his brother after Mengjue destroyed his entire collection of antiques. That had surely been a black day for the Nie household as the elder brother could not comprehend his err and the younger brother could not overcome the betrayal. It had only been because of the war, and the threat of loss, that Huaisang had forgiven Mengjue.

Wei Ying paused in his steps, looking at Huaisang's back. Although the thought was insidious and unwelcome, he could not unthink it once it had come into his mind. Back then, during the war, it had been only after Mengjue had been captured and given some hardships that Huaisang had forgiven him. Put another way, Mengjue had been captured only after causing his brother some pain and suffering. "No, that's not..." Wei Ying muttered to himself, trying to put aside the growing unease he was feeling.

Nie Huaisang paused, looking at him with a frown. "Wei-gege, you're muttering to yourself again." He said it from behind his fan, his eyes cast to the side, as if he was informing someone of some embarrassing detail of their clothing.

Lan Zhan was also looking at him sideways again.

Sighing, Wei Ying waggled a hand. "Yes, I am. I have too much in my head these days so it slips out now and then. It's all just random, unintelligible stuff." He looked over the garden they were passing, where he noted a bird cage was hanging. "You keep black birds?"

"That is an oriole." Huaisang replied, promptly. "There are no blackbirds around here, as such. I believe there are ravens in outer area, though. For the most part, they are just because at least brother will not belittle me if I keep them. They are useful, is what he says. They can talk with words, you see." He smiled. "I also have starlings."

Impressed, Wei Ying admired this feeble attempt to be courageous. Huaisang was probably not that much of a schemer. Wei Ying could see him putting a simple plot in motion. Something convenient, with little physical effort involved. He felt like the time who would murder someone only to bawl his eyes out afterwards. He was not innocent enough to do it by accident but he not cunning enough to pull it off alone, so...he was just useless.

The inner courtyard where Mengjue was standing topless, sweaty and with his hair up in a hair tail, was barren of greenery. There was only gravel, a few large rocks, and the wall. In the centre there was a circular platform. He was there, off-centre, dancing with his sabre. The sabre was resonating with his qi and prickled the air intensely. Each swipe he made cut the air and made a twang. It was impressive, to say the least. He settled himself and his sword down for a few minutes before tucking the blade up behind his back and coming over to meet them.

For a moment, Wei Ying thought he looked a bit like a large dog and stiffened. Even now, he had an aversion to canines that reached into the profound. But this was only a large man and he looked away.

"Have you come to have a bout with me?!" Mengjue asked, his expression a little hopeful. There were few who would dare be his sparring partner due to his excellence and his size. He was bigger than most men and this equated to a heavy blow.

"Perhaps later." Wei Ying said, smiling at him. "Actually, it is to annoy you with questions that we came. I hope you can fill in some blanks for us, though." He lifted a hand. "Have you met a man name Xue Yang?"

Mengjue's eyes lost their openness and he turned to his brother. "Go cultivate!" He snarled, harshly. "You're loitering about again!" He sighed after he had chase Huiasang out of the courtyard and sheathed his sabre. "Don't talk about that one around Huaisang. He'll get funny in the head. Xue Yang..." He looked up at the sigh, his nose wrinkling. "...that Jin Guangyao told you about him? Well, he'd want to get rid of him around now. You're the most expedient means of that. That man...he's a murderer." He was grumbling rather than speaking properly. He took down his hair, swept a hand through it, and tied it back up properly. "Well, that man is only a nuisance as far as I know. He was living a city in LanlingJin, but others were caught up in it when he decided to kill. He killed openly in the streets but he also posed as a demonic beast. Altogether, there were around thirty casualties."

Lifting his eyebrows, Wei Ying chewed his bottom lip. "That's answered one question." He said, looking down. "Well, Mengjue, just killing is one thing. But he did it in that way. Of course the Jin sect leader would be kept in the dark. That guy is still pretty much a kid compared to his brother's scheming ability." He lifted a hand. "The honest one and the dishonest one are running the most powerful sect in the cultivation world. It's in balance. I'm worried that this Xue Yang could tip that balance, if something set him off."

"Hmm. His skill with a sword is good but I did not think him much of a difficulty. I could kill him if I fought him one-on-one." Mengjue put a hand to his chin. "He's crafty, though. I don't want him putting ideas into the wrong heads." He was obviously referring to his brother again. "Trouble is, after he went to the Jin Sect, I lost track of him. From what I know, he was working there as an underthing of Jin Guangyao."

"Up until two weeks ago, that was the case." Wei Ying nodded. "He had an altercation with Jin Zixun and left. Mengjue, if you find this man...I ask that you do not kill him if you can avoid doing so. I want to meet him." He put a hand up. "No, there is a reason. I am called a demon but I am just a human. This young man killed people but that's in the past. If he was living quietly until now, there must be a reason for him to go out to kill. It may have something to do with me, I don't know. I will help you keep him away from Huaisang..." He smiled. "...I also think of him as a little brother."

Mengjue softened in a way that one could not see with the eyes. It was just a feeling in the air that abated. He looked over the courtyard and sighed. This overly straight, masculine figure, with narrowed eyes, and overbearing brows. Even inch a man. Yet he was worried and had care etched into the lines of his face. He patted the sabre at his side, as if musing on something only he knew. "Yes, I'll believe that." He said, finally. "However, if that is the case, I have work for you. There is something I want to discuss with you at some later date. I've given you five years' probation. Just when I thought nothing would happen, something did. You, you know about these methods and that kind of energy..." He shifted uncomfortably. "...then perhaps you would have the answer."

Very curious about what Nie Mengjue could want to know, Wei Ying sensed it was better to let him come out with it in his own time. "I'm always ready to help." He said. "Someone once asked me if I have a 'hero complex'. Can you imagine that? It's ridiculous, really. But I think that genuinely wanting to help others is normal."

They left Mengjue to his sword play after that. He was the type that could not handle such talk for long periods. They met up with a somewhat unhappy Huaisang. "He chased me out, didn't he? Because I am the one who is weak." He looked at his hands. "I don't know. I don't even know anymore. The more I think about it, the more I don't know. Brother is hiding something from me, but I don't know what it is so I cannot begin to prepare myself. Lately, he's been brooding over it, whatever it is. All he will say is 'go cultivate'..." He hung from his waist, his hair sliding over his shoulders as he drooped. "...what did you come to talk to him about?"

"Ah, the missing cultivators." Wei Ying supplied, automatically. "Well, he doesn't want his little brother to disappear. It's likely they met an extremely evil fate, A-Huai." He bent toward him just a little. "Sometimes people can only hide everything. Because if they say even a little, everything will come out. You are fundamentally not built for battle. That does not mean you cannot help him when the time comes." He patted the thin shoulder and nodded. "As for your pottery, that's up to you!"

Huaisang brightened up, twirling his fan. "Yes, I'm lucky to be able to get that tea bowl. I guess that it must have been stolen at some point but it was bought with clean money. I will have to think up something to repay my friend for obtaining it for me." He chuckled. "He said the same thing to me, you know. 'Do what you want'. I think such people as Wei-gege and Yang-didi are very free and admirable. If only I was that courageous."

Coldness spread down his back and Wei Ying put a hand to his brow. "Yang-didi?"

Huaisang looked up at him, his eyes empty of any maliciousness or cunning. "Oh, yes. He is a young man that I met some time ago. A few months. He said he has an interest in art works and so we had a conversation about pots. He is very well versed in all arts it would seem. He is a younger man that I, fair but striking. I believe he is a cultivator but I'm not sure what sort." He put a hand to his mouth, his face drawing in as he looked at Lan Wangji. "I'm not gossiping!" He announced, as if he was back at the Cloud Recessess, just fifteen year of age, facing a bamboo pole.

Laughing, Wei Ying shook his head. "Lan Zhan is annoyed because it's lunch time already." He muttered. "No, really. That young man only surprised me because you called him 'didi'. If you have a friend that's a good thing." He decided to beat a hasty retreat, though. He bid Huaisang farewell and looked toward Yunmeng with a sigh. "This is getting more complicated. Hauisang knows Xue Yang but Mengjue does not know that he knows. That must have taken some orchetrastion on Xue Yang's part."

"Sounding him out." Lan Zhan put in. "Because he speaks too freely."

"About Huaisang..." Wei Ying turned to look at Lan Zhan, about to ask him about what he thought of him as a plotter, but he words died on his lips. He looked down, unable to work it all out in his own mind let alone put it into words. "Well, I want to ask Uncle about it. If they have also had contact with the Xue Yang, I will begin to worry in earnest. I doubt it, though, they seem to be out of the loop these days."

A wind whistled over them as they came toward a town. It was also getting late and he was starting to feel being out of bed for so long. Still, he felt a little playful and in a mood to tease, so he turned and inched up to Lan Zhan. There was no one around them on the road, so he could be a bit bolder without irritating his lover. "But for tonight..." He smiled, putting a finger to Lan Zhan's chest. "...we can have a break and find an inn..." He leant in, breathing in the scent of sandalwood. "...and at the inn we can eat and drink wine..." He looked up, seeing a tint at the edges of Lan Zhan's ears. "...and then we can..."

Lan Zhan bent slightly, less than an inch, and put a very light kiss next to his lips. That was as touchy as he ever got during the day. "Hm." He nodded, hooking a hand on his waist to support him.

Feeling a thrill go up his spine, Wei Ying laughed. "Well, well, Lan Zhan is so impetuous!"


	8. Uncle

Notes: Sorry for the long wait for this chapter. There was a lot of new year's surprises and then I got sick. I'm also trying to remain consistent so I'm re-reading the novel to maintain the personalities. Obviously, I do make slight alterations. Thanks in advance for being patient.

Returning to Yunmeng was hard for him. Wei Ying's good mood died out and his chest began to ache again as he neared Lotus Pier. Sensing his distress, Lan Zhan settled in a secluded area and patted at his bandages. He shook his head, looking away shyly. "It's not a physical problem, Lan Zhan." He said, very softly.

The emotional burden always affected him more than the physical.

He had burned Lotus Pier. Although he had not set the torch to the wood, he had been directly responsible. Having changed fate, he could not escape the guilt that some hundreds of deaths were on his shoulders. Because he had known it was coming, yet he had not told anyone aside from Madam Yu and his uncle. He had 'left it up to them' to tell the rest of the people, which they had not done. Fangmian had wanted to wait until after the conference and Madam Yu had simply not believed him. He had saved Jiang Fangmian, Madam Yu and Jiang Cheng. He had called up the dead, full of anguish, shock, and resentment, and led that army against the on-coming Wens mercilessly...but it remained that some would never forgive that their relatives had been in that army.

At that time, he had turned Wen Zhuliu into a zombie and Madam Yu had never forgiven that. Even now, she refused to speak to him or mention him by name. That her children still associated with him had been the most harrowing blow in her life. Especially Yanli, who had also exposed Jin Ling to him, even allowing him to chose the child's courtesy name. Very likely, Madam Yu did not leave Lotus Pier much anymore because of the bitterness that had built up. She chose solitary cultivation more and more of the time and had devoted herself to her other 'daughters', young girls and women that had no families to support them post-war. The faction that had sided against condoning demonic cultivation had counted her among their number, although she did not physically involve herself.

Up until now, he had thought of that as unfortunate. Now, Wei Ying had to call it out. He did not want to! He wanted to do anything but! Letting out a sigh, he looked at the high blue sky and thought about A-Yuan. He wanted to go home and play with his kid. He wanted to eat spicy food and drink wine. He wanted to curl up with his lover and cuddle. He also wanted to get to the bottom of things before anything else happened. With Xue Yang on the loose and some threat still hanging over Yanli, he could not just let it go. Gritting his teeth, he tried to brace his heart against the treatment he would receive, the harsh words he would hear.

They walked up to the gates of Lotus Pier amicably.

Those on duty were faces he knew. He had called them all friends from boyhood. People who he had once seen lying in a mound of corpses under the Wen's banner. Their lives had been spared by mere happenstance. He had not tried to save them specifically so he could not take the credit. Some had been injured and still bore the scars of that day. Those who had followed him and Madam Yu out during the fall of Lotus Pier, showed respect to him, putting their hands together and bowing formally. Others cast hostile glances at him and chewed their cheeks. They knew, because Madam Yu had told them later-on, that his efforts had disregarded them. They all condemned him for what he had not done, rather than what he had accomplished, which had no argument or rebuttal.

He moved on, looking over the wharf as he cast his eyes to it. He had come from the land side but the citadel was aptly named and the water courses were many. There were a half dozen full size docks as well as smaller births, where some boats were hitched up to poles. Goods were always being loaded and unloaded here. Commerce was good and a lively bustle was going on all around. It had been entirely rebuilt by now and there was no sign that it had burned.

He watched the after-image of his eleven and twelve year old self as he proudly displayed his pheasants. He had traded them for candy, mead, and other goods. It had been something that other cultivators saw as unseemly, given his position, but he had learned a great deal from those interactions. Certainly, none of the craftsmen or merchants he had dealt with had thought poorly of him.

The hall was set apart from the actual pier by, perhaps, a mile. The residence was furthest in. A training ground was to the forefront and then the guest hall and formal reception area. He cast his eyes over it, letting out a small breath. The inner parts had never actually burned in this reality so the major repairs had been external. The bulk of the Wen clan had attacked from the pier side, rather than the land side, so as to prevent them escaping into the water and that had led to more damage to the civilian quarters, barracks, and Reception Hall than the residence.

The Sect Leader was now with the start of grey in his hair yet his smile was the same. They found him in the Reception Hall, going over some correspondence at a table, set about the middle of the open space. It was a long hall with a central runner and side alcoves. His dais was not that high. Nor did he sit there all day or even for most meals. With his daughter married and his son often about the world night-hunting, he likely did not even take his meals there.

Fangmian glanced up. He lifted his eyebrows and a smile spread across his face. "A-xian." He said, in that soothing tone he always managed to summon up. He got to his feet, coming forward to take him into his arms. It was the way a father or uncle would great their ward. "We had heard the details from Cheng already. Are you all right?"

Smiling, Wei Ying accepted the embrace but then drew back. He would have normally stayed on his feet but Lan Zhan was glaring at him so he gave a small sigh and seated himself. "I'm mending." He admitted there was some damage. "A-Yuan is also no longer with a fever and Wen Ning will probably be fine within the week." He lifted a hand to fiddled with the ends of his hair. It was somewhat unruly as compared to others and the ends typically slid over his shoulder to lay on his chest. "I am not going to let it go. It involves my child, after all."

Fangmian nodded, his expression grave. "Yes. Cheng was somewhat outraged when he gave the report to us. He hides it behind that disdain, yet he does care for you. That this involved that innocent child is beyond all contempt." He did not raise his voice or alter his way of speaking, yet his eyes glowered as he said these words. "You can always bring A-Yuan here, to Lotus Pier, if you need to."

Touched, Wei Ying smiled at him. "Hm! Well, it was partially my fault. I could have used the worm-hole and I didn't. I thought...no, I wanted to think, that we were passed these petty tricks. It seems that I thought too highly of others."

"I was alarmed when we received that summons, for I could not imagine you doing such a thing without just cause. Unless, by some horror, you had become insane." He put a hand to his head as if he could not even tolerate the idea. "I wanted to go to Burial Mound myself. I was talked around to waiting. We had prepared some assistance in the meantime but I suppose you do not need it now..." He even chuckled a little. "...you are very resourceful."

Wei Ying put a hand on the table, thinking about it. "No, but thank you! Rather, maybe just hold it aside. Burial Mound is basically self-sufficient now. There are old things there that keep it going, too. But, the smaller sects that have been troubled might need the assistance more than we do." He glanced at the servant standing nearby.

Fangmian held a steady gaze for some moments, then turned to the servant nearby. "Bring tea." He said, which was a subversive way of getting the extra person out of the hall. Once the lad was gone, he nodded.

Wei Ying swallowed and with a glance at Lan Zhan for reassurance, he slowly and clearly told his uncle everything they had heard so far. From the 'personal threats' against Jin Guangyao, to Xue Yang and Mo Xuanyu, to Nie Huaisang, to the tea that had been doctored, and when he had unloaded it all, he sat back in a heap. Holding his chest in one hand, Wei Ying troubled over his lack of air. A hand rested on his back and some yang qi welled up there, allowing him to breathe properly.

"You are wounded." Fangmian said, very softly. "Cheng did not mention this...it would seem you intentionally hid it. Well, I understand that you would not wish to reveal any weakness." He paused there as the attendant returned with tea. Once it had been served, the lad bowed to them and left, being the tactful sort. "There is an intentional plot here, the extent of which is still unclear." Fangmian went on. "It is very unsettling, that this Young Master Yang had dabbled in these arts with such carelessness. Sadly, there are many who use cultivation as a means to lord over and control others, rather than for personal enrichment. Yet this lad seems to disregard the lives of others to a greater extent than mere curiosity."

Nodding, Wei Ying put a hand to his chin. "However, it's not unnatural. It's just perverted. Jin Guangyao said we shared certain characteristics, which he equated to a 'childlike' personality. I cannot see myself as a child, sorry. Mo Xuanyu...was disturbingly childlike."

"A child." Fangmian considered this, even gazing at him objectively. He sipped his tea, looking over the hall. "I think, I understand what he had meant by that. A-xian, I think of you as my nephew. I like to believe that you think of me as your uncle. Five years ago, I was very concerned at your conduct, and every day, I prayed that you kept your sanity. And you did. Sometimes, you did affect a certain immaturity, which some would call brashness and some might call perversion. Very intelligent children are dangerous." He lifted a hand. "I'm proud of you. You grew up in that time and you've become a good man."

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Wei Ying almost burst into tears. He felt like he could live another hundred years with those words on his shoulders. He hastily picked up his tea and drank some, hoping to wash away the tears in his eyes with the bitterness.

Lan Zhan covered for him, of course. "Do you have any information or knowledge related to these matters?" He asked, giving a small seated bow.

After a pause, Fangmian tapped the edge of his cup. "Two weeks ago..." He said. "Or rather, precisely eleven days ago, I received a report from the senior cultivators outside. There was some migration of zombies taking place, which baffled them. They were not hostile or violent and did not attack others. As such, it was purposed they may be minions of Burial Mound. They scattered and began taking various paths to villages or smaller sects. The vast majority of them approached their relatives cautiously and asked to be buried with their ancestors before they...simply stopped moving and became cursed-corpses. Some, however, did seek revenge and these were much harder to deal with than a typical zombie. Once they were all stilled, they were examined with great care. They all had an array on their bodies. None of our cultivators had seen it before." He sighed. "It was decided upon reflection to first wait and see if any more of these unusual zombies turned up. If they did, then it would be necessary to ask you about it."

Licking his lips, Wei Ying felt a sour stomach coming on. Jin Guangyao had foolishly shown Xue Yang the Stygian Tiger Seal. While Wei Ying did not believe that anyone could control that apart from him, who had created it and bonded and even ingested it, he could not say that some rare genius could not use it to create others arrays of a similar nature. "An array?" He asked, more of himself than of anyone else. If it was an array, then there was still hope. Arrays were, in their purest sense, a boundary. The array had some specific functions and would not do anything else. On the other hand, depending on the intensity of the qi used to activate the array, the affects could be quite bizarre and devastating. The Stygian Tiger Seal would not have the same affect in Lan Zhan's hands that it did in his and the effect on the environment and on Lan Zhan would be many times as destructive if a Yang Cultivator of such calibre tried it out.

What troubled him more than anything else, though, was that the array had been on a living thing. Arrays, being boundaries, were not meant for use on or in a living thing. Even he was strangely fortunate but he had suffered internal injuries and extreme pain until he finally ripped out his own core. For zombies to turn up in such condition, likely meant that 'someone' had attempted to create either a force life qi into them or suck it out of them.

"Shee, that's unpleasant." He muttered. Looking at his uncle, Wei Ying rubbed his temple. "Well, I'll explain what I think. This is only speculation because I did not get to see, hear, or interact with them. I have created zombies, as you know. Well, we call it that but I don't really cause any kind of mutation or anything. I only give them the opportunity to rise up and move around, and I control how and when and for how long they do that. They are essentially blind and cannot talk ordinarily, because they are dead." He got a nod and nodded back. "Yes, well, these zombies could talk."

"Language." Lan Zhan said, catching on at once.

"Yes, it means they were still people." Wei Ying looked at him then back at Fangmian. "It is another, lower level of hell. It is probable that they were aware of their condition and were trying to go home. If they asked to be buried, then...they knew they were dead and that this would affect 'other people'. The deciding factor is language." He reflexively put his arms up, hugging himself. "It is a characteristic of zombies that were...alive...when they became that way."

Fangmian shut his eyes.

The silence hung over them for a while but then he smiled and gestured it aside. "They all are resting now." He said, gently. "And it is not your responsibility to take on such burdens, A-xian. Even if you chose to cultivate in an unusual way, I know that you dislike these things as much as anyone else." He sipped his tea again. "I have a sketch of the array, please take it with you as. If you can prevent that from occurring again, then so much the better, but please care for yourself. Do not arbitrary place yourself in harm's way again."

Blushing just a little, Wei Ying admitted with his expression that he was the reckless sort. "On the other hand, I am not alone." He said, looking into his own cup. Seeing the tea there reminded him of the other matter and he frowned. "I worry about Yanli, though. That Jin fellow will look after her. I'm actually reassured about him. But everyone else in that family?" He shook his head. "Actually, do you know of any rumours regarding Jin Guangshan being...forceful...in his conquests?"

Fangmian looked rather taken aback for a moment. "Ah, I see. So there is some rumour of this that reached your ears and this has to do with these 'personal threats' against Jin Guangyao." He folded his arms and looked introspective. "This is not the sort of thing that comes to a man's attention very often. Unless violent and radical, that is. In that past there were always rumours about him, as a man. I thought there was something wrong with him, myself. I even began to doubt the stories. If any man can be that active, it would surely rather ruin his health." He shook his head. "As for forcing, I doubt it. This is because Jin Guangyao is a coward."

"Coward?" Wei Ying asked.

"I got the impression that he had given up. He accepted his lot in life and lived within the identity of Jin Guangshan. Even in his youth, he was always the heir of the Jin family, the next sect leader. When he married, there was the belief that he would become a robust and determined man but that did not occur." Fangmian folded his hands and sighed. "Being a coward is not necessarily as wicked as people tend to boast. If one is naturally gifted then one will grow to meet those expectations but if one is not as capable...then we rather call them limitations. Nevertheless, Jin Guangshan has accomplished some fairly astonishing things through his cowardice. Certainly, his sons are rare exceptions, weather for their faces or their hearts or their minds."

Impressed by Fangmian's honest appraisal, Wei Ying folded his arms. "I suppose it is not as important as other matters. I have never spoken to Jin Guangshan myself. Somehow, if I get close, he managed to disappear. That is also cowardice, then." He glanced at Lan Zhan. "His cowardice might have led to some serious resentment, though. He's broken a lot of hearts along the way. There is a phrase like that...a woman that is scorned..."

"Hell hath no fury as a woman scorned." Fangmian supplied. "Guangshan is a man that is incapable of loving a single woman. At first I was of the belief that he loved no one but as I have gotten old, I believe that is incorrect. I think he genuinely likes all of them. Equally."

"That sounds exhausting." Wei Ying slumped onto the table. "No, but that Mo woman. Mo Xuanyu's mother. He actually 'dated' her for four years." He put a hand to his chin. "Mo village is on the way back. I wonder...Xue Yang seems to have taken a liking to Mo Xuanyu. He might be using that area as a base or have appeared there." He turned to smile at his uncle. "I'll go. I was going to try to talk to her but...I think I'll just leave that alone after all."

Fangmian nodded sagely. "It is wise not to waken the dragon when it is sleeping." He looked down, a slightly playful look coming to his face. "I heard from Yanli, by the way..."

Startled, Wei Ying blinked at him. "Oh!" He grinned, pouncing on Lan Zhan and hooking an arm in his. "Yes, yes, we've decided to wed. Well, it's been long enough. Uncle, I..." He swallowed as he thought of how unconventional it was. Fangmian had never said anything against it but it was surely not to the easiest thing to talk about.

"Hmm." Fangmian pursed his lips then turned his eyes to Lan Zhan. "But I have yet to be consulted in this matter." He said, with some humour.

Lan Zhan immediately pulled his arm free and bowed over his knees to Fangmian. "Please give your nephew, Wei Ying, into my care." He took these things very seriously, after all.

It seemed to impress upon Fangmian that it was not a joking matter and his face sobered up. "For life?" He asked, softly.

"For life." Lan Zhan replied, nodding.

The Sect Leader heaved a breath and had Lan Zhan straighten up. "Then I will acknowledge your engagement. In fact," He said. "I will even say 'thank you'. In this life there are vastly more woes than there are blessings. It is what I have learned at this age."

Lan Zhan took his words to heart.

"Now, if we could just get Cheng to settle down, I will be able to face my ancestors." Fangmian muttered, letting out a sigh.

Laughing, Wei Ying shook his head.


	9. Meeting

They were on their way to Gusu via Mo Village. It was a quiet walk that took them on an almost leisurely pace. Chuckling, Wei Ying hooked his arm in Lan Zhan's. "What do you think? Should I braid my hair or leave it loosened? How about my girdle? I'm hardly a pure maiden but I could wear my red sash. It's not like both of us need a chastity belt." He turned, tugging on Lan Zhan's forehead ribbon. "Yours is easier to get out of, too."

"Shameless." Lan Zhan replied, stoically. "You are vulgar."

"Yes, and you are enjoying it." Wei Ying replied. "You are undoubtedly a man, just like me. I've seen, so I know. It's not like the sky or earth mind it that much. It's only humans that are strangely shy about it. But I am talking of important matters here, as this is also a vulgar discussion of money. Ah, my elaborate wedding costume may just be dip-dyed red linen!" He hugged his chest, wiggling back and forth as if dying in lamentation.

After a pause, Lan Zhan closed his eyes and assumed a rare smile. "I will not allow that."

Turning his eyes to the side, Wei Ying was about to steal a kiss when he sensed something sinister and leapt back. They were not anywhere near Mo Village yet and he did not expect an attack in the middle of nowhere. A sword was zinging at the space he had been in, narrowly having avoided them both. Only an expert could have done such a thing, leaving him apprehensive. Lan Zhan had Bichen out and was glaring at the nearby treeline.

Something shimmered there and a tall, regal man appeared with an intense glare. He wore his hair up and had dark robes, giving the impression he was taller than he actually was. His back was very straight and his expression proud. "A man in black and red with a mischievous face and a man in white and blue with the mark of Gusu at his brow." He said, looking them over. "For my sworn brother's sake, I will have you leave your lives here!"

Astonished, Wei Ying whistled shrilly. There were dead to be found in most places but at the moment, there were no unnamed graves close enough. Gritting his teeth, he danced backward, lifting his arm to protect his vulnerable chest area. The attacked aimed at him was dangerously accurate and only some bizarre body contortions saved him from getting cut.

Lan Zhan twirled his wrist and fluted his steps, his sleeves and hair flaring, and Bichen zinged and clashed with an almost bell-like tone against the sword of the other. Blue sparks flared and a sense of overwhelming beauty emanated from them and this expert parried and danced with his sword on par with Hanguang-Jun. Indeed, Lan Zhan began to falter and retreat from him as each set of moves was exchanged faster than the last.

At the last, Lan Zhan made a somewhat ungraceful hop and pulled in all his yang qi. It was a move he had created for himself to avoid demonic arts. Where both of them were male and using yang energy, the Yin qi in the earth was stimulated and supported them. What qi they shed in excess would nourish the plant live and animals around them, just like sunlight hitting the earth. That created ideal conditions for cultivators to use their techniques and arts. Yin practitioners differed only a little in that they drew the energy out of the earth itself. The result would be the same, regardless. By suddenly retracting his Yang qi, Lan Zhan upset the balance between the two forces. Without balance, there was chaos. The other, expert or not, suddenly faltered with his steps and his brows twitched. He corrected his stance first, aware that in those two or three seconds, no fatal blow was aimed at him. Lan Zhan would go so far as to retract his own qi but he would never take a low-blow just to win a fight. Nevertheless, the expert was not so merciful to give up just because his opponent happened to be honourable.

It happened in an instant. Something shifted and the yang energy was rebalanced. A third force had entered the fight. It was a much purer form of Yang energy that what Lan Zhan had retracted, implying that the cultivator was stronger with internal energy. The Yin qi surged up from the earth and the swordsman's abilities were augmented and increased, leaving Lan Zhan at the disadvantage.

Red overtook white as a cut was drawn on Lan Zhan's upper arm. He immediately grimaced and dropped to his knees. At the same time, his sleeve was slashed by another sword. The sword came from the treeline and then returned there. Ice spread down his arm, locking him in place. His fingertips twitched and he kept his eyes on that sword coming for his neck, trusting his partner completely.

Wei Ying was hardly going to just stand there while his lover was decapitated. Lifting his hand, the earth rumbling and cracking dramatically, he reached out over the vast distance of twenty yards to seize this man.

The expert sensed it and registered a terrible shock at seeing many blackish red hands reaching out of the earth toward him. He cut one with his sword but this had ultimately no affect as it simply regrew to continue seeking along the ground like a wraith. "What foul creature is _that_?!" The man demanded, hopping back toward the treeline. It was a defensive stance. He was guarding the thicket rather than encouraging the fight now. "Fiends! Not only my sworn brother, how many others have you devoured?!"

"I haven't devoured anyone!" Wei Ying snarled, stomping his foot. He had made it to Lan Zhan's side and put a hand on his shoulder. The ice was only on the surface and the arm itself was still intact. Looking down at it, he could tell that the cut was also minor. While he wanted to absorb the wound, he knew Lan Zhan disliked that. They had made a promise that, where Lan Zhan was conscious and not about to die, Wei Ying would not do that. Looking back up at the swordsman, Wei Ying let out a sigh. Such a noble man would not be attacking them unless there was cause and he could imagine that it had something to do with him, if he was seeking a man in black and red. "All right, what is it then? If it is actually something I did, then take it up with me and do not involve others."

For a moment, the expert did not seem likely to comply. A voice different from his came from beyond him and another man appeared. He was in white robes and had his hair down, with a handsome face. Although he was quite attractive, he was also gaunt and his eyes were dulled as if with cataracts. "It is fine, brother. I doubt very much if this is the man. The man who did this to me would laugh and point his finger like a child, but this man protected his companion and even said such words. They could not be the same."

The dark-clad expert drew himself up, tucking his drawn sword up behind him to bow slightly. There was something rather stiff and naïve about him. It reminded Wei Ying of how Lan Zhan had been in their youth. Up right to the point of being a fuddy-duddy. "I am called Song Lan, and this is Fuxue. This is my sworn brother, Xiao Xingchen. His blade is Shuanghua. He is a disciple of Baoshan, one of the Xian. That said, he descended that mountain and, upon occasion, came to be associated with myself. Not long ago while travelling upon a specific quest, we encountered difficulties and were separated. During that time, my sworn brother was assaulted in this terrible way by a demonic practitioner. We do not know his name and therefore were unable to locate him. Until, this morning, we received word that there was such a man journeying in this area."

"What?" Wei Ying blinked, looking at him then at the other. "Baoshan? You mean...are you...do you know...?!" It was suddenly hard to breathe and he gripped Lan Zhan's arm tight enough to crush the ice, cutting his own hand. Lan Zhan flexed his hand and took out a cloth to tie around the cuts. "Have you met Cangse Sanren?!" Wei Ying asked, ignoring his hand for the moment.

There was a pause, then the invalid nodded once. "How do you know the name of my fellow disciple? She is my elder cultivational sister, although I was only a child when I met her." He paused, as if thinking over his words. "Come to think of it, she left the mountain afore me and was said to have had a chance to marry into a top sect but eloped with another man. I know nothing of her fate beyond this."

Lip trembling a little, Wei Ying turned toward Lan Zhan. "Cangse Sanren is dead. She...was my mother. I am Wei Wuxian, your cultivation nephew." He said it very softly and flatly.

Both men registered the shock after the words fully sank in.

"And I am not the one who injured you." Wei Ying continued, keeping his eyes averted for the moment. "That is probably the same person we are seeking, Xue Yang. Whether he is evil or not, we do not know. We are only seeking him. Will you tell us your story?"

As it was a great shock for them as well and as they were also seeking information, they agreed. The four of them found the nearest inn on the road, around a half day's walk from Mo Village. While they could have just sat anywhere to talk ordinarily, Xiao Xingchen was not well enough. Their story was simple enough. They had met while out to journey the world as righteous cultivations and young gentlemen. There was something a bit naïve to them both, talking about righting wrongs and slaying evils. They even mentioned founding a unilateral sects based on respect and ideals rather than blood lines. They had no basis for doing so, no war chest, and no one to actually join such a sect. Yet they had happy expressions when they talked about these ideals so neither he nor Lan Zhan interrupted them.

Then, they came to their recent ordeal. Song Lan did most of the talking, in a frank and earnest tone that was a touch brisk. They could, in retrospect, say that their troubles started from a few month previously. They had fought against the cultivator they met and advised against bullying the weak. In retaliation, he had drawn his sword and attempted to cut them. Song Lan had been disgusted when the man almost touched him as he was the type of human that could not tolerate the touch of others, even his sworn brother. There was no point explaining that while in the middle of a sword-fight, though, and despite Xiao Xingchen attempting to mediate the situation they had only stopped fighting when Jin Guangyao showed up.

"This is how you met him, then." Wei Ying muttered. "It seems that he had had a few run-ins with cultivators in the past but that's bad timing for you. He was already upset because of other matters. Bullying the weak..." He sighed, thinking that followed the over all immaturity they had already documented.

"Indeed, that could be the case." Xiao Xingchen said, in a humble tone. "I did not think I was being arrogant but perhaps he heard my words in that way. However, that matter passed and we thought it quite done. Later on..." He paused, putting a hand to his eyes as if he was in pain.

Song Lan took up the tale again automatically. While out righting wrongs, they had received information that a man in black and red was meeting with someone with the mark of Gusu at his brow and a smaller sect was greatly troubled because of it. They did not automatically connect such a statement with burial mound or even bring this up, implying they were only newly about the world and had little knowledge on the state of things. "This man had caused terrible hardship for this sect, turning their cultivators into zombies while still alive!" Song Lan said, in a growl. "We decided to confront them and force them to quite this pastime! We followed them but they split off from each other, so we each choose one to pursue. That was a mistake." Song Lan lowered his face, his brows furrowing in sadness. "I almost caught up to that man from Gusu but it was at that time that I had a great sense of dread well up in my heart and I rushed back, as fast as I could fly, to find that my sworn brother was nearly dead. We have not uncovered how it was done but it had affected both his eyes, as you can see."

"So, looking for this nameless man based on that description, you thought I must be the one." Wei Ying rubbed his face. "Great. Well, he's mimicking me so I guess that can't be helped. This is a strange meeting, though." He folded his arms, thinking about how odd it was for them, who had an almost fairy-tale like connection, had met at random while pursuing the same man. "In any case, Xue Yang did do that. Ah, the zombies! My guess is that he was attempting to find the limits of zombification. Our understanding is that the zombies were not used for anything in particular and were...let go." He gestured. "Langling Jin Sect does not own or want them and neither does Xue Yang. What we're left with is that he had a some agenda for which he needs this knowledge and a grudge..." He lifted a hand. "...and he took that grudge out of you two because you were in front of him."

Song Lan looked truly and utterly revolted.

"I thought him to be rather uncouth but not truly villainous." Xiao Xingchen put in. "Until he did this to me, I considered him to be only a rough sort of man, a youth that had had a hard life. That was precisely why I wished to caution him." He put a hand to his chin then touched his eyes. "If this is the burden that I must bear for my own folly, then so be it. I would rather see again if that is possible. Because my eyes were not injured so I hoped that it was possible to recover my sight." He offered a small smile. "Song Lan is merely helping me in this matter, really. His attack upon you was perhaps unwarranted. We must be cautious that we do not become what we are trying to oppose."

"Hmm." Wei Ying looked at Xiao Xingchen. This was his 'uncle', in one sense, but he could not feel that kind of connection with a stranger. He thought that if their association repeated over time, he might become a friend. That was for later on, though. At that moment, Wei Ying decided to put him in the 'patient' category. "Your Yang qi is really strong so I'm not sure how he did anything to you. Using pure Yin energy would just end it a draw due to your internal force. Ah...it's more refined than most cultivators but not really more plentiful." He looked at his hands and thinking about the seal in his body. If he compared it, he could not say there were any pure techniques that could do that kind of damage without affecting the physical body. An array was different and there was the deep and treacherous world of curses left unexplored. "Lan Zhan, this is more similar to Jin Zixun than to typical demonic cultivation."

"I concur." Lan Zhan nodded once.

Song Lan eyed them, his arms folded up. "I had heard that Gusu stood against demonic cultivators, yet it is not so. Not one but two are in such company." He was not precisely insulting but he disliked it intensely.

"That's only partially true." Wei Ying replied, sharply. Seeing the resistance from Song Lan, Wei Ying gave him a dull look and pointed at him. "You stand against it because you do not understand it. Talk of evil and righteousness, but then what of balance? Balance of nature is the basis of Tao. It's not wrong, it's just another way. So there." He sniffed. "Lan Zhan is my leash. Think about it like having a second there to check your figures. I am human, and like any human, I can make mistakes. But mistakes with cultivation are many times more devastating. Certainly, Xue Yang needs to be stopped. He needs a leash, something to hold him back, to make him question his own actions. I guess..." He leant on his chin. "...he needs a reason to grow up. That said, we don't know just how badly he's struggling. He's doing this alone, with no lover or sibling or parent. That's scary, you know? The Yang path is bright, open, with much company along the way. It's a well-known path, so there is a map. The Yin path is dark, narrow, with a steep cliff behind and a void to either side. It's not easy, you can't see much of the future and everyone is against you." He smiled, thinking it was ironic that he, himself, was saying this now. "Given a choice, most would rather chose Yang cultivation. I don't think Xue Yang had that choice, though."

Both men were truly surprised and gave seated bows. "For my arrogance, I apologise." Song Lan said. "It remains that this man has harmed my sworn brother. I must redress this!"

Xiao Xingchen was holding a hand over his eyes again, clearly troubled.

"Yes, well..." Wei Ying drummed his fingers on the table. "...may I examine your eyes? I'm no world-wonder but I can at least tell you if there's hope."

Xingchen lowered his hand, thinking this over. "You are a practitioner of these arts but sound to me to be on the righteous path. Such a paradox, my nephew is." He seemed to find it amusing. "But my master had told me to always keep my mind open and my heart calm." He nodded once. "Please examine my eyes, using these methods. We could discover little even though I have seen a doctor."

Moving to his side, Wei Ying lay a hand over his eyes. As soon as he lay a hand on him, the Stygian Tiger Seal appeared on his skin and his own eyes cast a reddish light in the air. It caused Song Lan a bit of a turn. Lan Zhan cautioned him with a look. Ignoring them, Wei Ying concentrated on what he could see. There was no sign of anything inside Xiao Xingchen causing him to remain blind. That ruled out a huge category of ailments. He was not really injured, either, so there was no way to absorb or transfer the affliction away.

"Well, that's awkward." Wei Ying muttered, letting him go and retreating to his side of the table. He pursed his lips as Lan Zhan set tea before him. He obediently drank all of it before he started talking. "You have little knowledge of Yin practices, obviously. Demonic techniques could be classified as anything that utilizes resentful energy. Yin qi can control resentment, Yang purifies it." He set the stage for them. "You're eyeballs are fine and I don't sense any resentment or miasma inside your body. You are not rotting or degenerating. You're not sick, either. But, your vision...your soul's sense of sight or perception...is gone. It was stolen or ripped out."

Xiao Xingchen put a hand to his chest, finding it difficult news.

"What is that?" Song Lan asked, indicating his hands. "He has something like an array on his body." He said this aloud for the blind man. "It appeared only when he touched you."

Nodding, Wei Ying showed off his hands. "This is something I got from my mother, an inherited technique. Well, you're friend here is probably aware of these things. They are quite rare. I tried to go up the mountain once but all I learnt was that that is not my path, so I know very little about the cultivation up there. What I do know is that my mother passed this on to me from my birth. Once I could use it, it allowed me to cultivate much faster than others. There are also certain...benefits...that come with it." Turning, he put his hand over Lan Zhan's arm and the cut disappeared. "Not exactly what you would called demonic, ordinarily, right?"

Xiao Xingchen listened to the commentary of what was happened, then sat back. "My master mentioned something like to this but only at a state very close to Xian." He looked down. "Cangse Sanran was so close to immortality yet she did not pursue it?"

"Yeah, she wanted a child and a husband." Wei Ying replied, perhaps more coldly than necessary. "So she died. The point is these kinds of techniques are unique. However, Xue Yang was given a copy of part of this thing. He attempted to complete it, but..." He pursed his lips. "...whatever it is he's got is not this seal. It is his own seal that he made from his imagination."

"But the affects could be strikingly similar if it is based upon yours." Song Lan said, with a gesture. "But if you have this ability to heal wounds, his should be at least in the same theme... yet he did not. He stole someone's sight?"

"That is because there was a wound." Wei Ying nodded. "If there was no wound, then what would happen if I did that? To be honest, I do not know. I've never attempted to use it outside of those fixed routes." He looked at the table. "Xue Yang may not even be aware of doing it, though. He could not know what this Stygian Tiger Seal actually does, since he was told it is a demonic array."

Song Lan face palmed and then downed his tea. "Such idiocy."

"That is an awesome power." Xiao Xingchen said. "You have had it since childhood so you can comprehend it's danger. I fear that Xue Yang has not had that luxury." He looked troubled and exhausted. "This explains why, while there is no injury, I have had these symptoms. My ability to cultivate was damaged, it seems. It is painful in a way I could not put into words. So that is because it was an injury to my soul that I became so weak."

Frowning, Lan Zhan's eyes glittered but he remained silent.

Giving him an extra moment, Wei Ying finally started talking when it was clear Lan Zhan was no going to. "It's because you take in information through your senses." Wei Ying replied. "Even if you do not get this sense back, your other senses will make up the difference. Your soul is not so weak it'll be affected long-term just because of that. While you are alive, anyway." He gestured. "You can probably take that back whole and intact provided that you lower your principals a little. In order to reclaim this part of yourself, you will have to use Yin qi. Yang energy is only projective. You can't take with it." He shrugged.

Again, they were both shocked.

Song Lan looked at his brother. "There is truly no other method to restore his sight?"

Glancing at Lan Zhan, Wei Ying hesitated. "There is...one possibility." He said. "It would not be your perception or sight but you would technically be able to see again. This is to simply disregard what you lost and find a substitute. For that...any corpse will do." He paused, scratching his hair. "I'm not clear about how you would see, though. Like what quality it would be. The process is very simple. You can just take the eyeballs you have out and swap them with those of anyone at random. Blood relatives are best." He lifted a finger. "For that, yang energy will work just as well. That said..." He looked over the inn. "...there are side effects. Mostly, if they are too old or if the corpse isn't fresh enough."

"Corpses?" Xiao Xingchen looked close to throwing up. "I would rather remain as I am than violate a corpse!"

"An eye?" Song Lan muttered, leaning on the table. "No, well, that is disgusting. But in that case..." He reached up, touching his own eyes. "...it could even be me, for instance? With yang energy and a precise knowledge of this method, my left eye could be entirely transferred to my brother?"

Nodding, Wei Ying took a deep breath. "Yes. You would each have one eye. Your senses would not be connected, either. Unlike if it were done only on a spiritual level." He pointed to his own eyes. "Actually, taking an organ from a living person is much safer as there is no chance of rotting. I've seen eyeballs be transplanted numerous times. It's relatively painless and the recovery time is only a few weeks. The eye would adapt over time and it made degrade...see less clearly...than before being transplanted."

Xiao Xingchen almost coughed up blood at this point and had to retire to a room above. He was quite worn out from everything that had happened to him. Talk of such procedures were that much too much. Song Lan was hell bent on guarding and avenging him but he was not so reckless to drag a sick man out that very moment. He also seemed to be aware that just hacking out his own eye did not necessarily solve the problem.

"They did not mention Mo Xuanyu at all." Wei Ying said, as they left the inn. "Nor did they react up to the mention of Jin Zixun. I don't think they have any part in this aside from very bad luck."

Lan Zhan looked up at the inn. "There is one thing that troubles me." He said. "Xiao Xingchen has not hidden his origins. Xue Yang is inordinately obsessed with you. Your mother could be included in that, and thereby, anyone like to her or who knows her. And the man who's eyes were stolen was the man who knew her. He met her, even only briefly. The Stygian Tiger Seal is something you inherited from her and his version is seemingly incomplete." He lifted a graceful hand. "Could stealing Xiao Xingchen's eyes allow Xue Yang to also access his memories?"

Frowning, Wei Ying put a hand to his chin. "That I cannot deny." He said. "If we are now entering the realm of vampirism then..." He swayed, turning to lean on Lan Zhan heavily. "...this is hard for me!" He said, through his teeth. "This is the one subject that I never wanted to talk about with you!"

Lan Zhan supported him until the fit had passed. Then he guided him to walking. They just walked in silence, hand in hand, for quite a while. It was nearing evening when they approached Mo Village but Wei Ying turned off before entering it and sat on a log. "The answer is 'yes'. By drinking blood, for instance, or absorbing some body part, then theoretically, there would be a temporary link between the two. This also happens between a mother and an unborn child and thus, hereditary seals or abilities happen. This would be forcibly connecting two unrelated people, so the side that gets taken from would have after effects. Xiao Xingchen's vitality took a hit. This is...this is different from what we've dealt with up until now, Lan Zhan." He shut his eyes. "I could do that, you see. It is a closely guarded secret. To heal myself or to become extremely powerful, I could take in the vitality of others. It's just, once that line is crossed...I wouldn't be human anymore!"

His light coloured eyes were shimmering. From his expression, he was not unduly shocked or upset. There was no judgement. "Wei Ying." He said, in a steady tone. "I am with you."

Wei Ying accepted that that was all he could really say to such a statement. "Km!" Looking up at the first stars winking at him, Wei Ying smiled. It was just as well that all the secrets and uncomfortable things get drawn out now. "There's an inn up ahead. We'll talk to Lady Mo in the morning but for tonight...I would like to just be alone with you."


	10. Deviation

Mo Village was not as small and quaint as Wei Ying expected. Certainly, compared to Carp City or Lotus Pier it was just some tiny speck on the map. But it was on the map. There was clearly good trade with neighbouring villages. While the First Madam of Mo did not have a good relationship with her younger, half-sister, she was a shrewd businesswoman and ruled the town of her ancestors with a mind as well as might. That said, there was not much pleasant said about her. The Second Madan of Mo, Mo Xuanyu's mother, was hardly spoken of at all. She lived in a house separate from the main Mo Residence. It was not by a great distance but it was still very obvious what her position was within the Mo family.

In short, she was bullied.

They were not there to pry too far into her life but Wei Ying did want her opinion on Jin Guangshan. She welcomed them in as any lonely person would. She was all sparkly-eyed as she talked of her son. It was clear that he could have literally donned horns and run through the village buck naked, she would have still loved him unconditionally. The only thing that drew a frown to her brow was that he might cause hardships for his father. While the few things they had heard of her had made her out to seem slow-witted, she was aware that Jin Guangshan did not love her especially. She talked about him as a lonely man. She had sensed that he was lonely and looked for affection, so she had not minded being his mistress. She had given up being a proper wife to any other man because of it and she delighted in her son. "He gave me a child." She said, simply, as if there could be nothing more precious than that. "I do worry a little but he has good brothers with him, at his sides, and his father is not a cruel or violent man. That I could not believe. Even when quite dishevelled with drink, as men get to be, he was only flirtatious and witty. He...that man, he is like a child. It made me laugh so much."

Which painted yet another picture of Guangshan.

The lady went on that she was certain Xuanyu would be fine as he had such strong, capable, and morally upright friends. In this way, she brought up Xue Yang all on her own, even speaking on him with a smile. She was the first to do so. Even Xuanyu had understood that Xue Yang was a dangerous man yet she seemed to think him a lovely 'child', perhaps a little older or more world-wise than her own. She smiled, with the same innocent look in her eyes as her son, praising the young cultivator for helping her out with chores! He had brought in her groceries and filled her rice bale. Things that should have been provided by her sister but were sometimes 'late'.

A few hours and a pot of tea later, they knew Xue Yang had left already. While the lady only thought of it as the normal restlessness of a young male cultivator, Wei Ying understood precisely that Xue Yang had heard that people were looking for him. He was intentionally avoiding them. Wei Ying could not decide if it was himself and Lan Zhan or the two young heroes that, also, were dressed in all black and all white. "There's a theme here." He muttered, thinking about the colours and thereby thinking of that unknown Xue Yang had met with. "I still cannot comprehend how someone from Gusu would be connected to Xue Yang. We're definitely missing the connecting piece that would gift wrap this all for us. Ah, I want to pinch Yuan's cheeks right now!"

Lan Zhan favoured him with a frown. "Hm." He slid his eyes over his shoulder. "What do you want?"

A boy around Mo Xuanyu's age came out, timidly. He looked terrified and had a livid weal on his whole face. It was a cursed whip mark, a brand! It would remain for his entire life and was right nasty to behold. One eye was pulled taut and watery because of it while his upper lip was curled in a perpetual snarl. His limbs shook as he hobbled out, attempting to bow and almost falling on his mutilated face. "A-Tong hasn't been doing bad things." He said, holding his sleeves as tears began to drip from his lashes. "Young Master is dying...he was almost killed by that cultivator that stayed at Xuanyu's Mother's house."

"Your Young Master was almost killed by Xue Yang?" Wei Ying wheeled around and bent. "It is all right. We won't try to hurt you. I will ask you questions, though. Did Xue Yang do that to your face?"

He shuddered, collapsing onto his knees. "It hurts." He groaned. "It doesn't stop hurting no matter what. Even the poppy juice doesn't make it stop hurting my face." He sobbed on his arms for a few minutes. "That cultivator was cruel! Young Master came out to visit Auntie but Auntie was visiting with that man. Young Master became excited and burst in on them! At first, Auntie just spoke civilly to him but he wanted to speak to the cultivator and not about Xuanyu. Because it was Xuanyu that was taken into a fancy cultivational sect and not him."

Rubbing his face, Wei Ying glanced at Lan Zhan. "So, this Young Master is Mo Xuanyu's cousin? Did he badmouth Mo Xuanyu?" He asked, bluntly. "Oh, you can just be honest to me about it. Xuanyu is a little 'odd', right? It's normal to think that's 'odd'." He spoke in a solicitous tone, putting on his more egotistical smile.

A-Tong nodded, sitting on the side of the street like a supplicant and hugging his arms. "Young Master did say some bad things about Mo Xuanyu. Everyone else in the world has said it at some point. He _is_ strange in his ways." He frowned, pouting. "It is only because Young Master wanted it very much! Everyone says so! That it should have been him and not that fellow! But he...that is, Young Master...he did not think what great danger he was in! That cultivator cut him over his whole chest. He is almost dead. I rushed in when I should not have. I said something I should not have. I don't even remember what it is that I said. He took something from his pocket and hit my face...!" He tipped forward, sobbing on his arms again. "Please, I will even beg you, can you stop the Young Master from dying such a miserable death?!"

Thinking that over, Wei Ying glanced at Lan Zhan.

Lan Zhan handed a small jar to the boy, who received it in both hands. "It will treat cuts from the swords of cultivators if applied routinely on a clean cloth. It can also be used on your face. The mark, however, will remain." He was clear about that before he turned and strode away from the shower of thanks and praises spewed by the servant.

"So revenge, then. Guangyao said that he was loyal and this proves that much." Wei Ying said after the servant was gone. "He protected not only Mo Xuanyu but his mother. He saw that she was slighted and took it out on the 'Young Master'. Likely, because the brat was too arrogant."

They had no leads now and Wei Ying was tired. He was worried about many things. It was hard to put up with even normal irritants. So when a bird began to dive-bomb his head, pecking at his hair tie and his sleeves, he cursed and stomped his foot. "What?! Are even birds now upset with Yiling Patriarch?!" He demanded crossly.

"Help!" The bird said, very distinctly. It was a raw, squeaky voice but it was human language. "Brother Wei! Brother Wei!" It pecked and plucked at his hair, tipping its head this way and that. "Help! Brother Wei!" It did not seem to know any other words.

"That is an oriole." Lan Zhan put in, softly. His eyes were glowing. "It would seem that there has been some incident and Nie Huaisang is asking you for your help."

Gritting his teeth, Wei Ying focused his consciousness on the darkling he had given to Huaisang. It did not give him precise information over such a distance. Just that the person it was on was alive and in basically good health. Thus, he had no way of knowing what kind of situation the younger Nie brother was in. If he was in any kind of situation where he needed to call for help, he would definitely go to his brother first. Then, his brother could either not help or else Huaisang was afraid to go to him. In either case, something serious was happening. "Bird, return to him!" Wei Ying said, before he turned and swiped his hand to the side.

The worm-hole opened up there, causing a complete stop to all commerce in Mo Village. Wei Ying strode into the gap in space and Lan Zhan came in after him. It was something they did without thinking about the mortals behind them. Indeed, the story of it reached high and low within the closed community, reaching the ears of the First Madam of Mo. Just as A-Tong was babbling to her an incoherent story about precious medicine, she was bombarded with wild tales from dozens of sources. In her heart, a certain disdain for cultivators had grown ever since her sister, her illegitimate bastard sister, had gotten together with the head of a cultivation sect. Now, that disdain was replaced with genuine fear. Fear that she was wrong about her own son. Fear that the rumour of Yiling Patriarch visiting her half-sister was true. And so, she accepted the jar of medicine from A-Tong and daubed in onto her son's chest. The wound visibly improved. Tears escaped her along with a groan and she knelt, under the weight of her own vanity, to sob at her son's side.

Wei Ying did not know any of this as he exited the worm-hole, nor that the relationship between the sisters of Mo had been forever altered due to his visit.

They arrived in a clearing about ten miles from the Nie residence. Wei Ying sighed. He could not always get to the exact spot that he desired by worm-hole. Lan Zhan hooked strong arms around him and they flew over the terrain on Bichen, covering much ground in short time. The residence was in turmoil. There were people coming and going from every door. The gate was open, implying that no opposing army had come marching on them. Yet, there were signs something had gone terribly wrong as an inner wall was reduced to rubble and there were splatters of blood decorating several others.

Nie Huaisang looked almost like a zombie. His eyes were dull and lifeless, with bruised skin under them. He had somehow lost weight since they had seen him, just three days previously. His hands were thinner and trembled continuously. The oriole perched on his shoulder, chirping at him. His sullen pout and stooped back made him look pathetic and worn out rather than nervous. "Wei Shi-Xiong." He muttered, his eyes darting around behind them before resting on Lan Zhan. "And...Lan Wangji."

It was certainly not the normal way he would react to Lan Zhan and Wei Ying felt a momentary flare of anger. Then he looked at Lan Zhan himself, wondering if perhaps the light had caught his eyes and made him appear angry. Instead, Wei Ying saw his forehead ribbon fluttering around and understood well what was happening. "Ah!" Wei Ying. "Come, come, I will hear you out. Lan Zhan and I have had many adventures in recent days. There is some fellow wearing a forehead ribbon that is making life difficult for everyone." He passed this off, speaking vaguely because it was Huaisang before him. "What happened here for you to summon me so suddenly?"

Huaisang turned his back and walked away from them. It was an incredibly rude thing for anyone to do. The courtyard was being put to rights by workers. Some glanced over but none would dare to come any closer. Huaisang stood with his back to them, trembling even more. It was not fear. It was not nervous tension. It was barely controlled rage. "My brother," He muttered. "Screamed and tore his ears out." He turned, partially, glaring at them. "The blood came out all over because his qi centres ruptured. He ran amok, slashing everything before him until he dug out his ears and stabbed himself on his sword." His lip trembled and he faced away from them again, crushing his fan in his hands. "Why is it that this happened when we have done nothing wrong?! Why is my brother always the one that gets hurt?! Why will no one ever tell me the truth before it is too late?!" He was not shouting but he was not quiet, either. "Brother Yang came here, he told me everything! All about what you have been doing these past days, seeking him out! You spoke to brother because you are looking for him! But you did not tell me!"

It hung on the air. There was some culpability there, perhaps. Wei Ying did not feel remotely guilty. He felt that this person was reaching some breaking point. His rocky relationship with his brother was the catalyst that might push him into deviousness. "Well," Wei Ying ran a hand back through his hair. "That is because you are you and not your brother. Huaisang, I'm not especially obligated to tell you anything. Even if, perhaps, you might need to know later." He nodded as Huaisang turned to look at him. "Ah, yes. Eyes that want to devour someone. Between you and Mengjue, you are probably smarter. I never pegged you as a stupid or weak man. You're just a coward. Cowards have a way of surviving that which heroes will not. Manipulative, selfish, you look the other way." He took a step forward. "Just like you won't carry a sword."

Huaisang flinched, looking away. He was truly helpless at that point. Qi deviation could happen to any cultivator but it was more prevalent among the Nie Clan. He feared it. He was definitely afraid of it. He was also afraid of other people. As he was not skilled in the sword, or in cultivation, or in much of anything, he passed his time with pretty things. Things that could not hurt him, like pots. "But you did not have to lie to me." He muttered, looking down. "I'm not a child. I also fought during the war. Oh, no, I never made any list. Compared to my brother, to you, to Jin Guangyao, who could rank?"

"If Xue Yang came here then does that mean you think he is involved with what happened to your brother?" Wei Ying asked, bluntly. "And so the warning came too late."

He frowned, deeply. "I don't know." He muttered. "I don't know. I think and think but I don't know!" He put his hands to his head. "Perhaps it was qi deviation. Perhaps it was madness because someone cursed him. I cannot think anymore. I believed that Xue Yang was my friend. I knew he was dangerous, but...well, so are you." He slumped a little. "Why would Xue Yang, or anyone, want to harm my brother?!"

"Yes, that is the important question." Wei Ying nodded, worried about that as well. "Why target Mengjue when he's not actively seeking anyone?"

Lan Zhan put a hand to his chin. "This may not be the doing of Xue Yang, Wei Ying." He looked over. "Nie Mengjue, Jin Guangyao, Jin Zuxian, Wei Wuxian..." He looked up. "...these, along with my brother, Lan Xichen, are those who had done much against the Wen Sect. At the Qionqi pass it was Wen Ning and A-Yuan who were actually targeted. To take them away. Xue Yang has no need to target them in that manner and he is likely only a small facet of this case. This man wearing the mark of Gusu is unknown to me. If that person acts in this barbarous way...that is not righteousness."

Biting his lip, Wei Ying clenched his hands. "That's really going for it if you are right."

"What are you talking about?!" Huaisang demanded tears on his lashes. "Speak plainly, I beg you! My brother is not dead, he is a cripple! He is so small..." He put his hands to his face, sobbing on them. "Why must this happen to him?!"

Surviving Qi deviation, at least when naturally occurring, was unheard of. Wei Ying immediately wanted to examine him and Huaisang led the way. Mengjue was laying on a bed with a single sheet over him. Heavy restraints were holding his arms down. His lip was chewed raw and there were deep scratches on his broad chest, his neck, his face, and his arms, to suggest he had clawed himself. The sides of his head were the worst of it. Most of the cartilage had been ripped off and the inner ear exposed. No sane man could do something so excruciating, definitely.

And he did, indeed, appear small.

"His qi channels are severely damaged." Wei Ying said, after taking a look with his Yin-Mo eyes. "His Golden Core is still there. It has eaten the surrounding tissue so he coughed up blood. He will never recover his prime again yet he may recover enough to live a normal life. As for cultivation..." He looked at Huaisang. "...he will not be able to use his golden core any longer. He qi would leak out and injure the organs around it. It is an organ, after all. That said, the problem is definitely his mind." He paused, looking a the patient. "Qi deviation, as you know, causes one to hallucinate. These hallucinations are so powerful they manifest physically on the body, resulting in trauma. A man believing he has been burned will develop burns and so on. What your brother did was entirely different." He lifted a long finger, then pointed to the afflicted ears. "He dug out his ears? Yes, but his ears did not shrivel up from the _belief_ he had done so. There must be a reason for it."

"Wei Shi-Xiong." Huaisang was back to his usual tone and posture now. "Can that method help him?" He asked it very clearly and distinctly. "If I gave him my core or even just my blood, would he get better? He is a strong man, he could take to being scarred or loosing a limb. Even if he could not do it the way he did before, he would still dance with his sabre! Yet, as he is now, he will only die a slow, pathetic death." He shut his eyes. "Because to my brother there is nothing as magnificent as being a cultivator."

Considering that, Wei Ying looked at Lan Zhan. "Well," He frowned deeply. "Huaisang, do you understand what it means to do such a thing? Digging out the golden core is mind-breakingly painful. Believe me, I know." He put a hand to his own stomach. "The bigger issue is that his qi channels were damaged. I've never transplanted those." He frowned at the patient, wondering what would happen if he tried it.

Lan Zhan put a hand on his shoulder, restraining him. "There are limits." He said, softly. "It is not his body that requires your attention now. Now, it is time to honour his mind, his spirit. For such a man, only his own will is relevant." He turned, taking the zither from his back and setting it down. "If there was true qi deviation, the soul will be in confusion. If it was not true deviation, then his soul should be intact."

"But he's not dead." Huaisang said, frowning at the zither.

"Indeed." Lan Zhan had seated himself and arranged his sleeves. "So there is a cause for you to prepare yourself."

"Empathy." Wei Ying nodded, swallowing thickly. "It's better if it's you. Mengjue will be able to speak through you more easily than through me. He won't be dead, either, just outside his body for a bit." He looked over at the body wheezing on the bed. "It's little use to him at the moment, after all."

Huaisang clearly felt better for having an active role. They had to walk him through the steps and it took a bit of time for him to be able to connect to his brother's consciousness. His posture changed, his aura grew bigger. There was something, some essence, that exuded and they knew Mengjue was there. Huaisang was now a silent witness within his own mind. In the worst case, Mengjue would try to permanently take over his body. Wei Ying thought that was unlikely.

After the formal questions about identity, verifying it was him, Wei Ying gestured. "What happened to you?" He could be frank with this person, even half dead.

Huaisang's mouth moved but it was not his tone or way of speaking. "That...sound..." He paused, his hands opening and closing. "This is...my brother's body." He looked around, his brows pinching. "Why did you encourage him?!"

"Excuse me?!" Wei Ying sucked his front teeth. "Mengjue, I get that you've had a rough day but are you serious?! Huaisang is even ready to go ripping his core out! That's how much he looks up to you! This whole thing, whatever you've stepped in, he needs to know! And so do we. Because I can gather you've neck deep in it." He folded his arms. "What sound?"

"There was a sound." Mengjue looked stonily at the zither. Because of the melody that Lan Zhan was playing, he was able to speak more coherently than if it had been normal possession. "I do not know what it was. It came like a phantom, something I heard in a dream. It was not an earthly sound. Like this." He nodded to the zither. "It was a beautiful sound but it was also terrible. It permeated like water. From then on, I do not know what I did. Am I...am I dead?" He frowned deeply.

"Not yet." Wei Ying replied, gesturing to the bed. "You're in bad shape. From right now, you're cultivation days are over. If you do not want that fate, you do not have to go back to that body. It will just die after a day without a soul in it. Huaisang does not want that...he wanted you to rise up again, to overcome it. But to do that, a sacrifice would be required. It is up to you."

There was consternation at seeing his own body. Mengjue then turned back and let out a sigh. "How strange. My life comes to an end in this way. Yes, I am culpable. There is something I meant to ask you." He said. "It seems there is no longer a need for it. Huaisang is not strong enough a cultivator to worry about it. Our clan, it has always been this way. Even now, we seal away our sabres to prevent them from attaching to others. It will be this way with my own blade as well. The use of corpses has made it so that we can control the resentment spilling out from them, but this has never been a fail-proof method. I thought perhaps, if you were truly not an evil entity but simply capable of things I am not, then you could take away that resentment and return them to purse swords again." He sighed, folding Huaisang's arms up in his usual pose. "During the war, when I was tortured, I briefly thought 'to hell with it' and reached out for something. It could have been anything. Some tool by which to escape, to triumph over them. And when I thought this, I sensed that something in the darkness moved. That was you." He turned just his eyes. "As I see you now, I understand it. My time is up. I cannot protect my brother or my clan any longer. This life you helped to save is over and done. Huaisang can live as a normal mortal, perhaps that is for the best. But there is one thing I still have hanging over me."

"What is that?" Wei Ying asked, softly.

"During the time you vanished, there was an incident. No one has spoken on this to you. Not even one word of it. When you returned, Jin Guangyao was in a pathetic state and unaware of it. Only I, Jin Zixuan, and Madam Yu were privy to it." Huaisang shivered, tears running down his cheeks. Although it was Mengjue speaking it was Huaisang crying. He knew his brother was speaking these things as his confession, his last words. "Lan Wangji does not know this either, for he had disappeared at the same time."

Frowning, Wei Ying felt his nap-hairs prickle. "What is this?" He asked.

"It is Wen Zhuliu. We found his corpse arranged as though in state, with his sword there at his breast. It was thought to have been your actions. For he was, indeed, just a corpse." Nie Mengjue sighed and lifted his brother's hand to his face, wiping the tears and rubbing his brow. "But, that corpse was not burnt as it should have been. Jin Guangshan wanted to examine it before it was cremated and during that time it was set aside, it vanished. No one knew what became of it. For the first few days, we thought the zombie reanimated and returned to its master but that was not so. In that case, it either went away on it's own or else someone took it. There is no one I can think of that survived that day to do such as thing."

Trembling, Wei Ying felt time swell and heard many echoes.

"That is my only regret. I think it in retrospect." Huaisang's body began to shake and his hands clenched spasmodically. "I think we all probably feared you because we wanted what you have. You're a strong man. Family, and honour, and the things you can do with your hands...are important. Even, for cultivators." Huaisang slumped forward, catching himself on the floor. Droplets of tears hit the mat under him. "Brother?!" He asked, desperately. First, he patted at his own chest. Then he turned, rushing to the bed. "Brother?!"

Catching him, Wei Ying pulled him back. The body was wheezing and seemed to get even smaller and less robust. The soul was not in it. Mengjue had already left it behind and would not return. So, while it was breathing, it was not alive. Huaisang's knees gave out on him and Wei Ying hastily held him up. They sat him down at a distance, where he could not directly see it, making him drink tea. He calmed down enough to be sober but he was terribly confused and saddened. It did not even take a full day, either. The body was in such a bad state that within a few minutes, it stopped breathing and turned an off colour.

Heaving a breath, Wei Ying felt the bite of the silence.

"Huaisang, we will help you." He said, softly. "Although I won't take the blame for it, it is true that there was a plot and we did not take it seriously enough. I want to meet Xue Yang. I believe he is not the one who hurt your brother but is possibly after the person who did. He may not be a good man and I cannot tell you if he is actually your friend or not. What I do know is that, undoubtedly, your brother was murdered."

His fingers twitched. It started around his feet and came up to his knees. It draped itself over his shoulders like a cloak. His hair shifted. The look in his eyes, somehow, became a little darker and more sinister. "I...don't know..." He muttered, fiddling his hands together. "...I don't want to think..." He was not really talking to them but he was talking. "...when I think, I am always unhappy after..."

"Will you regret what you do or what you have not done?" Lan Zhan asked, softly. "'_Family, and honour, and what you can do with your hands...are also important for cultivators._' These are the words intended for you." He folded his own hands, bowing just a little.

A tear ran down Huaisang's cheek and he licked his lips. A deep breath followed. Getting up, he went over to the body. His lips quivered and more tears fell. He folded his hands, bringing them up and out formally, and bowed to his brother.


	11. Information

Lan Xichen arrived at the Nie residence after receiving a summons from his younger brother. While Huaisang was resolved to take over and do everything he could, he was grieving the loss of his only relative and scared witless at the prospect of being Clan and Sect Leader. Already some people were leaving the sect, proving they had only remained with the Nie Clan because Nie Mengjue was the one leading it. Within a day, Huaisang had made more decisions than he had made in his life. He was not carrying a sword, sabre or otherwise, but he did have a long knife tucked into his obi. He had a very wary, nervous pair of eyes that darted around, reading men's faces in an instant. At least to the extent that they were friend or foe. When Lan Xicheng arrived and the doors were shut on the private hall, he slumped forward and put a hand to his head in relief.

Hurrying to support him, Xichen looked over at them with a question on his lips. "Is it true? Rumours already abound. Sadly, it is cast in ill-light." His brows pinched and he looked down at the weaker man in his hands.

"Well, Mengjue had the choice." Wei Ying said, softly. "Even if it was only a slim choice. But we have something to discuss with you. This is because he confessed to us something that I find very alarming, more so than just someone triggering deviation in another cultivator." He held up a hand as Huaisang looked over sharply. "I'm not saying it's less important."

Xichen let Huaisang go and tucked his hands into his sleeves. "I believe," He said, very quietly. "That I do, indeed, know what this pertains to. The others, thinking me overly distraught, kept it from me. I divined what it was about through inquiry, though, as there were quite a lot of 'talkative folks' for a while. It was a form of appeasement simply to listen." He put a hand to his chin, then smiled his signature smile. As if accepting everything. "Well, I forgive Shi-Xiong. May he rest in peace." He put his hands together, bowing to the nearby memorial tablet.

The corpse, given the state of it, had already been cremated in a private funeral that morning. The hall they were in was semi-public but currently shut against the world. Others had had their chance to pray and bring offerings to the tablet, if not the man. Now, Huaisang was 'alone' with which brother's soul and the souls of his ancestors, even though no one was actually there.

"So Wen Zhuliu's body did disappear?" Wei Ying turned, putting a hand to his head. He could only keep things straight by speaking it out. Mengjue aside, there were so many twists and turns that he was starting to feel confounded. "By no means was that body going to get up and walk around again! It may have looked like a whole corpse on the outside but it was not much of anything on the inside. And, if he had not gone to his rest, I would be the one he would come after. Those were the conditions by which I created him in the first place."

They all looked at him, steadfast and somewhat troubled. Huaisang frowned, drawing his arms up to hug himself. "Then, what would happen if he did come back? It has been _five years_?! Brother Wei, is it even possible for a Fierce Corpse to last that long?!"

"Yes, more or less." Wei Ying turned, sitting down heavily. "In fact, they just continue on until they decay to the point that they cannot move. I...I am unaware of what happens to them if they 'die again' from decomposition. They do not feel pain but the psychological damage would be multi-fold for every part that..." He gestured. "...in that guy's case, he consented. He was a loyal man and I respected that."

"Consented?" Lan Xichen frowned deeply at him, putting a hand to his middle. "Is it possible to totally consent? Knowing what his fate would be?"

"Well," Wei Ying looked over at him. "I suppose it wasn't just me he was afraid of. It was the Wen Clan. We think of him as the Core Melting Hand, right? He could snatch away our cultivation and our lives! And that was how I had to face him in battle. In reality, he was the last of the Zhou clan and had likely suffered greatly already. His loyalty to Wen Ruohan was only up to a certain point, I think, but Wen Chou was another matter. Perhaps, he saw him as a younger brother or even a son." He smiled as Lan Zhan put a hand on his shoulder. "I did not target Wen Chou directly or attempt to take his core or turn him into a zombie. That was the condition. When that condition was met, he consented. The hate remained, of course. Right up until he crossed over."

Swallowing, Lan Xichen turned away and looked at the many candles and sticks of incense around the memorial plaque. When he had mastered his emotions, he looked back over. "It is a weight you will carry forever." He commented. "However, as you clearly feel the weight, I think it is beyond me to pass judgement. What my mind is drawn to, is that there would be no reason for him to continue on in that condition, unless in involved Wen Chou. Is that at all possible?"

"Wen Chou was killed by Madam Yu as I understand it. I did not witness it, myself." Wei Ying replied. "She, and several other female cultivators, caught him and beat him to death. As I understand it, it was not much less cruel than I would have done." He gestured it aside. "But he had earned their hatred many times over so I did not think it unfair. If I can put it like that. If he managed to survive that I can only think someone helped him. It could not have been Zuliu, either, the timeline it off. But, afterwards, just saying that there is the remote possibility that Wen Chou crawled off on his own, received help, and then collected Zuliu's body. The greater mystery would be how he did that without getting caught...so, an accomplice. Probably someone who could move around the body without suspicion, so, someone that you all know but would not be conscious of. A servant or lesser cultivator, perhaps." He pursed his lips, looking at Lan Zhan. Lan Zhan nodded to him. "Yes, okay. That's one theory. The other is that the corpse wanted to return to its happiest place. A sense of 'home' that is intrinsic to all people. And then it would have buried itself there and become earth." He shrugged. "That Jin Guangshan wanted to examine him is flat out bizarre and I don't believe that. That man was afraid of worms, he not going to go poking at a rotting corpse. Guang Yao making this demonic sub-cult is annoying because we also have migrating fierce corpses that are able to talk, a situation where the hundred holes was cast, and a young, obsessive cultivator with a partial version of the Stygian Tiger Seal running around!"

"Ahh, that's Xue Yang." Xichen put in, lifting a finger. With his eyes closed momentarily, his ears drawn back slightly and a rogue smile on his face, he looked almost cavalier. "I have heard quite a lot about this young man, myself. Several of our people had been questioned about him and why you are seeking him. There is also some unnamed man 'with the mark of Gusu at his brow'? That," He frowned, opening his eyes and looking over. "Troubles me greatly."

"This man from Gusu or at least pretending to be, is the bad guy here?" Huaisang asked, very quietly. "You are all very much smarter and braver than I. I know it well. So, I will not leave here. But, it is for my brother's sake as well! That Wen Chou slapped my face once so I hated him. Brother threatened to cut him. Brother had always despised and hated Wen Chou. That other man, Zhuliu..." He frowned, hiding behind his fan. "...he was very scary but a proper sort of man. He never messed with women or drank or anything. I wonder why he was so fond of Wen Chou, who only did bad things."

"There may be some familial connection we are simply unaware of." Lan Zhan replied, stoically. "Brother, why does this unknown man trouble you to such an extent?"

There was a long pause, then Xichen turned back to look at the candles. "Do you think me an unbiased man? Someone who, with open arms, can accept anyone?" His smile was a little fixed. "That is not so. I am also just a man. I have many bias. It is sometimes very hard for me to accept what you say, Wei Wuxian. I try to simply accept that it is something I do not have the capacity understand. There are, however, some things that even I cannot abide. First, and foremost, is the mistreatment of young children. Second, and I say second loosely, is the direct threat and insult to those whom I love." He lowered his head a little. "As Sect Leader, I have to remain neutral as much as possible. My duties include many things of a disagreeable nature and this includes dealing with people whom I would rather not associate a with. For instance," He turned. "Those with a long connection to our clan."

Lan Zhan stiffened just a little.

"Compared to such intimidating sects as the Wen or Jin, our GusuLan sect is quite petite." Xichen put it like that, almost scoffing. "We have no tributary clans and only one branch sect. They wear our colours as a show of respect. Nevertheless, they are run separately. I do not have any say over their rules or practices and can only offer modest advice." He lifted a hand but his other hand was balled up and trembling. "Recently, there have been difficulties with them."

"Of what nature?" Wei Ying asked, warily.

"It has nothing to do with you." Xichen replied, with a very small smile. "Or only indirectly. It is a matter that is ever in the forefront of discussion within the sect, so perhaps it was natural that it should pass on to them as well."

"What is that?!" Wei Ying asked, wanting him to come out at say it bluntly, whatever it was.

"It is because I chose you." Lan Zhan put in, softly. He rested his calm hand on his shoulder again but then removed it. His face was pensive and very sad. "There is no man without sin, Wei Ying." He let out a small sigh although it was probably impossible for those farther than three feet to see it. "Simply not intending evil does not count as righteousness. Righteousness is counted in actions, not intentions. There was, a moment. From that point, all else was predestined and could not be changed." He turned his light coloured eyes over, assuming an incredibly rare smile. "I chose you."

For a few minutes, Wei Ying really was quite lost and confused. Beautiful as these words were, as much as he cherished them, with everything that had happened and the intricacy of the plot, he had no idea how Lan Zhan could have offended anyone so greatly they felt a need to involve not only their own branch-sect and the whole of the main sect. Then, a grey-glimmer of awareness came to him. It welled up behind the empty space where his core should have been. It was perhaps the stupidest reason out of them all, yet he could not deny that it was something people gossiped about and discussed rudely. Perhaps, to someone out there, some prissy Lan fellow, it was reason enough even to dispense with Righteousness and commit murder.

"Is this because we're both men?" He asked, unable to entirely quell his incredulity.

"It is..." Lan Zhan replied. "...because I chose you."

"Oh, so they are jealous." Huaisang said, blandly. "Hanguang-Jun is very admired and sought after. Even outside the cultivation world, there are those who sing his praises. It is because not only is he very handsome but he is also very learned and polite. It makes others feel both very ashamed and very safe. In a different way from Elder Xichen." He nodded to the elder Lan brother. "So, of course there are people who want him. If you were to never marry, then you could belong to everyone. Like those houses that put pots up for display and let people come and look at them. They are put up out of harm's way and never hold wine or broth ever again. They are good for preserving history but they are very bleak, like tombs or mausoleums." He had said something very interesting and turned to a small cup at his side. "I use my pots, you know. I collect them but I do use them. They will crack if they are not used. When something is made to be beautiful and practical, it absolutely must be used."

Thinking his babble was shrewd, and that it was his own way of being tactful about their relationship, Wei Ying smiled. "So I have a rival?" He folded his arms. "No, but this is a man. So, _perhaps_ not in a romantic way. Perhaps only as pure brotherly affection. This causes strife within Gusu?" He looked over at Xichen. "Memory does not serve me. It never does. So I'm not really current with the politics of Gusu."

"Politically, I think everyone gave up." Xichen replied, candidly. He even chuckled. "You are the exceptions and so it was easy to treat you as such. That said, jealousy is ambitions wicked sister. This man, if he is one of the purists that have caused some troubles, then they could commit any outrage. Their fervour is not necessarily out of maliciousness, yet they harbour evil emotions that could do great harm." He dipped his head. "As for that boy, Xue Yang, I believe you will find him much closer than perhaps you expected."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Wei Ying asked, rubbing his head as it began to ache.

"Well, Wei Ying, I must say it is impossible to get a hold on you, either." Xichen bit his lips for a moment, letting out a sigh. "You never hold still! After that incident, did you not think that, given his great sense of closeness to you, his great admiration for you, his longing to be even a little bit more like to you, that he would not seek you out? Did you never consider that the revenge ritual was done not for A-Yao, not for Mo Xuanyu, but for you? Just who did Jin Zixun insult, I wonder? In this plot there are two forces, Wei Ying, and one of them is not hatred." He shook his head a little. "Is it?"


	12. Disciple

Note – Redid this chapter because I didn't like how it flowed. Sorry, hope this improves the continuity.

Xue Yang's personality here. I'm using 'modern speech' for him to give him that 'gutter talk' kind of feeling. I'm portraying him as the young punk that Jin Guangyao picked up rather than the more seasoned cultivator that was depicted in canon. I also wanted to portray him as something a bit darker and more brutal than WWX. While WWX is supposedly a demonic practitioner he never really became evil. At least not in the broadest sense. On the other hand, it is canon that Xue Yang tormented others and was extremely selfish, even though he was not unable to feel bonds with people. A straight-up psychopath, basically. Thus, this presentation here is couched around his need to be better than WWX, who is called the Grandmaster without really deserving the fear and awe associated with it. Remember, even within the fan-fic, Xue Yang has never seen WWX fighting or the extent of his powers.

* * *

They arrived at Burial Mound with a sense of urgency. Wei Ying pushed aside his growing fatigue as he was worried about A-Yuan and Wen Ning. He and Wen Ning had been targeted once already and while Lan Xichen seemed to think Xue Yang was not involved, Wei Ying would only acknowledge that possibility once he knew his son and disciple were safe.

As soon as they set foot on the black soil, Wei Ying shivered. It was not the same! He bent forward, reflexively. The earth around him rippled and undulated as the things inside him connected and communicated with those in the ground. The cracks splintered in a certain shape, a pattern, up, over, down, a connected series of half squares, ringing him and casting Lan Zhan out. The air hissed as it caressed his skin. Whispers rose, gossiping. It hurt his head and he cringed, putting his hands to his head. "Be quiet!" He shouted, stomping his foot. The words were cast far and wide, echoing over the whole of Burial Mound. The silence rushed in and the seal under him sank in and vanished, leaving only the normal black soil and bits of bone.

Holding his robes over his chest, Wei Ying took a deep breath and looked up with his mouth puckered. Lan Zhan cautiously reached out, putting a hand on his lower back. He had never seen that before but he could tell that something outside of his lover had just appeared and then vanished. Wei Ying smiled at him, to assure him he was still fine. "It's just that they got a little restless. Even if I do help those who are whole and intact move on every year, that's only if they want to. There are...those others. They actually prefer to remain here. I guess they just like people." He shrugged.

He did not mention the lower depths of Blood Lake or that he had seen things that he could only describe as demons.

They found Wen Qing pacing outside the Demon Slaughtering Cave, her expression tensed. She turned, relief springing up in her eyes. She immediately hid it, though, drawing all her emotions inside her and turning her eyes to the shadow lurking behind her. At the entrance to the cave, there stood a lithe young man, neither stocky nor skinny, with handsome features. He was very sharp and intimidating. He wore black robes trimmed in red but they were not an exact copy. Just similar. His hair was pulled back loosely and he had a small, smug grin on his face. It was very clear he knew what had happened and he stretched his neck suggestively, looking around with just his eyes.

Wei Ying immediately strode up to him, irritated and alarmed. This...this child!...was holding A-Yuan on his hip! Lan Zhan was right at his side, also worried about their son. A-Yuan did not seem to be uneasy and he lit up when he saw them. He held out a hand to them, offering them candy. It was just a simple thing, a treat most children wanted to keep to themselves. "Brother Yang gave me candy," A-Yuan said, articulately. "I saved some for you!"

Touched despite himself, Wei Ying melted and took the candy. He could not deny it, either. A-Yuan's big eyes were watching his every move, anticipating him eating it. So he put it into his mouth. It was not like he was going to die of poison easily if there was anything. It tasted normal but it was very sweet. "You didn't give him too many of these, did you?" Wei Ying demanded, scowling at the youth, as A-Yuan giggled and clapped his hands.

Xue Yang gave him a long, intense look. As if not thinking about it much. He glanced at Wen Qing before he set the toddler down and squatted before him. He straightened his clothes and hair, affectionately. "Well, it's because he doesn't get candy. His teeth won't rot that quickly." He said, his voice was lower than expected from his build but not as deep as Mengjue's. It was a voice that could enrapture young girls, though, and would likely be intimidating if he used his natural infliction to recite curses. He turned, looking up at them with his hands on A-Yuan's shoulders. "For now."

It was all he could do at that insinuation not to rip Xue Yang apart. His eyes flared crimson and the ground shook. There was no hiding it that he was angry. A-Yuan flinched, his brows pinching. Lan Zhan had already settled beside him and picked him up. He handed the toddler off to Wen Qing, who hastily carried him away.

Xue Yang looked at them, pouting. The black tendrils weaving at his feet were investigating his legs to see if he was edible and he simply stepped on them, grinding them back into the ground. "I'm not that easy." He said, with a sigh. "And I'm not going to do anything to a five-year-old kid, either. That's for me. There are perverts out there who would. And here he was, left on his lonesome. Those people are zombie food, they are not going to do anything but die pitifully if the Jin Clan decide to come calling."

"Why would they do that?" Wei Ying demanded, folding his arms over his chest. "In the first place, why are you here?"

"I want it." He replied, candidly. He looked over, his eyes fixing and a nasty smile split his face. "I want Burial Mound. I want all of it. I'm at least as good as you." He stopped there and abruptly changed tracks, turning and tucking his arms behind his back. He looked at the Demon Slaughtering Cave. "I can get up to a certain point and then, I can't get any further. It's not a lack of smarts nor power. I got all of that. I ain't afraid to kill people so it ain't that, either. All the others that were gathered up, tramps or whatnot, they were stupid and didn't get it. They didn't understand you. Said it was that Stygian Tiger Seal or whatever that made you tick." He looked down, flexing his hands. "I thought they were bullshitting but they actually believed that." He sighed. "That ain't anything that came out of a human, whatever it is."

"Excuse me?" Wei Ying glared at him. "Did you curse Jin Zixun?"

He looked over the cave, sighing. "Not quite what I thought it was." He said, almost as if he was disappointed. "In terms of demonic cultivation, I'm better than you." It was a bold declaration. "You could be stronger! You could go all the way, become a _real_ demon!" He wrinkled his nose. "It's because of this guy, isn't it!" He pointed rudely at Lan Zhan. "Why didn't you just kill those people outright?! Why'd you wait until they came looking for you?!"

Startled, Wei Ying rubbed his face. He already felt exhausted. When he had dragged Jin Zixun to Carp City that time, it had been the lesser of evils. He had deliberately minimized the after-effects because he had wanted to avoid the holocaust he knew would ensue if he did anything else. Because he was a demonic cultivator. Yet, Xue Yang did not know that. He knew there was more to the Tiger Seal but that was just some artefact and he knew it was not that important. Which proved he actually was quite smart. Wei Ying studied this young man for a moment. "Because of my family." He said, directly. "I love my son, I love Lan Zhan. My Uncle and my brother, Yanli too. That's my family. I can't say I'm that close with Jin Zixuan but he's my brother in law. For Yanli's sake, I'll do whatever it takes. These are the things that make me human. If we're talking about _that _kind of demonic cultivation, I don't need it. Everything I've done, no matter when, is because I had people I needed to protect." He smiled at the stern, hostile look he was getting. "I could have it all, yes. If I called to it, it would come. But it's not something I need or want. If you grasp at shadows they will grasp back at you, Xue Yang."

He sulked, fiddling with his sleeves. "I don't have that." He said, bluntly. "That's something I never had. I can't do that. From when I was a stupid brat I never had that. So, I'm not like you." He sighed a heavy, depressed sigh. He tipped his head back as if trying to accept it. "Whatever. It's not important." He looked back at them, more calmly. "Honestly, I'm just sick of their bullshit. Jin Guangyao, you know, he's a piece of shit." He sighed, shaking his head. "Yeah, that guy, he's loaded so he shoves it onto other people. That kid wanders off sometimes, I saw. The same thing with me, you know? He couldn't take it so he just gathered up brats and people from the streets, paid them some money, told them to 'try it out'? And yet, if you say his mommy was a prostitute, he flips shit and gets all bitchy. Like it'd be any less painful for me to do it? I ain't ripping out an organ for anyone, sorry!" He flapped a hand, making a rather valid point. "He did keep that other guy off my back, though. I got into it with some cultivators, kept screwing around on my turf and I killed them. Nie Mengjue made it seem like I massacred a village or some shit. Ironic that it's because of that that I ended up stronger." He looked at his hand, holding something in his right one while he left was empty.

Considering how talkative he was, Wei Ying let out a sigh and folded his arms. "Burial Mound does not belong to me." He said. "I belong to it. There is nothing I can give you. If you want it, you have to go get it for yourself. It's very unlikely you would survive. As you said, it's painful to rip out an organ. At best, you'd die of Qi Deviation before you got to the top. If you did manage to survive, your body will be continuously eaten and regenerated. You won't be human anymore but neither will you be a demon. At your current level of cultivation, you can use most so-called demonic techniques. With a little effort, you could probably surpass the top cultivators. That's my honest opinion. However, I will make no secret that I don't trust you and I think you're dangerous. You say you won't hurt him but you still put your hands on my son."

Xue Yang actually smiled. "Well, he's cute. Is that a crime?" He muttered, looking away. "Jin Guangyao's like that, too. Why can't people watch their kids properly?! I told you, this place isn't exactly as protected as everyone seems to think!"

"What's Guangyao got to do with it?" Wei Ying asked but then he stopped, putting a hand to his mouth. He looked to the side. "Oh, I see. That's...certainly true. The Jin Clan..." A sense of foreboding came over him and Wei Ying half wanted to grab A-Yuan and run. To hell with the rest! Yet that was not something he could do now and he knew that. He took a breath and let it out, rubbing his face. "Xue Yang, I may have finally reached the end of my sanity, but I'll help you if you will be straight with me. Why did you leave the Jin clan two weeks ago? You found something out, I think, and you couldn't stay there. That 'something' is big. I'm suspicious, I have grave suspicions. That's doesn't mean I'm psychic."

There was a pause, then Xue Yang narrowed his eyes. "Really?" He asked, frowning. "Just like that. A warning and then nothing? You're just going to hand it over?"

Chuckling, Wei Ying nodded. "If you survive." He said, plainly. This was a lesson that Xue Yang could only learn through experience, even at the cost of his life. Wei Ying did not think it was wrong yet he did think it was sad. " Well, I am the Grandmaster. I might as well act like it once in a while. I'll help you up to that point." He dipped his head. "And you will not be any half-assed replica but a demonic practitioner in your own right. You can even say you're a disciple of Burial Mound if you want to. Just remember that its Burial Mound who is the master." He lifted a hand. "Now, pay your tuition. Fess up."

Xue Yang looked elated. As if he had won a difficult game of chess. He even put his hands together, the one closed, the one open. It made him look even more like a child. Then he moved over to a crate and seated himself on it, looking at them levelly. "This is what I know. The Jin Clan, you know, they're pretty shady. Jin Guangshan is pretty much just a loser but he's a sect leader first and foremost. Can't ever forget that part. Not really sure he'd amount to anything on the battlefield but that only matters if he has to step onto it. Which he hasn't. Not even once. He's never actually had to fight anyone in his entire life. That's pretty amazing that the guy who did the least, who never really fought or showed off his Six Arts, is the fucking Chief Cultivator." He arched an eyebrow. "And then there's that little programme they stated. It's not a bad idea at all and I believed that it was Jin Guangyao's idea. But there was always something fishy about it, to me, because it wasn't like they needed to turn people into zombies. It's like, that was beside the point and just for kicks. The zombies, I don't know, after that first time it just felt like it was easier to kill people with a sword, to be honest."

Biting his lips, Wei Ying dipped his head. "Well, yeah."

"Anyway, the Jin Clan is too wealthy. They are not just rich, they are richer than all the other sects combined. Where the hell are they getting all that money? You think it grows on trees?" Xue Yang sighed, looking at Lan Zhan for a moment. "Gusu, right, you're 'well off'. You don't go painting your toilet in gold paper! Where's it coming from? It ain't from cultivation or night hunting, that's for damn certain! You want to know where the evil is in a sect, follow the money!" He smiled, folding his arms. "And there is dirt, all right. Jin Guangshan's dirty little secret."

Frowning, feeling apprehensive, Wei Ying shifted. "Does this have anything to do with him assaulting a woman before?"

Xue Yang smiled. "That letter, huh? I don't know if that happened or not, it was before my time. What I do know is that Jin Guangshan is scared. He's sent people out in secret for the last month and two weeks ago, he figured out who it was. His secret isn't some indiscretion decades ago. No one would really jump at that now. At most, it'd just make life hard for his grandson. No, no, that's not it. If there was anything dirty enough to affect the Chief Cultivator, it would have to be something every single sect would jump at."

Lan Zhan stiffened, his brows pinching. "Wen Chou." He said, almost seething it. "Jin Guangshan is the one who found and assisted Wen Chou. That man is still alive, he was hidden by the Jin Sect. Jin Guangshan had contributed financially to the war and the Jin Clan certainly proved they're loyal to the Mixed Colours. However, Jin Guangshan himself did not participate in the battle." His light coloured eyes were glowing. "Why would he go to such lengths for Wen Chou? Surely, they could share no relation."

"It's not impossible but I doubt that." Wei Ying replied. "It's not that. It's money. The war was an investment for Jin Guangshan. He is not a warrior, he's just a bureaucrat. Even Jin Guangyao said something about politics being the most important aspect of a sect. That said, it's true that they never seem to run out of money. Truthfully, money begets money. If you have enough, you won't run out because you can always acquire more. And the reverse is also true. If you don't have it, then you can't get it." He looked at Lan Zhan. "The selling point of the Cloud Resources if Righteousness. You're reputation. You said that yourself. But the Jin Clan...it's basically just self-sufficient. They don't need to 'earn money'. That said..." He lowered his head. "...if they do have a cattle crop, something sinister, then it must be something fairly hideous. Human trafficking, maybe, or drugs."

Xue Yang smiled. "So we're alike after all. You think like that." He seemed happy about it. "But it's not that simple. Wen Chou was seriously injured by Madam Yu. Well, he's not much of a man anymore, if you get my meaning." He lifted his eyebrows. "So he can't cultivate the normal way. He wasn't very good at it, to begin with, is what I hear. Jin Guangshan going to those lengths to save him had a meaning and that meaning was that Wen Chou knew shit about everyone. All those little secrets that they wouldn't want the righteous one's finding out." He looked at Lan Zhan. "Even your elder brother, Lan Xi Chen. Seems he's not perfect after all. Got his hands caught in the cookie jar. It doesn't matter if it's true, it matters if people can be convinced of it." He had that hideous, nasty smile again.

Of course, Lan Zhan's expression did not change. "I believe you have made your point." He said. "In that case, Wen Chou was the one who requested Zuliu's body and it was made so. Jin Guangshan wanting to examine it was likely only an excuse."

"The foundation of the plot was the zombie I made myself." Wei Ying said, softly. He felt numbed. "Wen Chou was spared by me but still ended up like that. When Jin Guangshan got a hold of that fierce corpse, Jin Guangyao must have seen it up close. He had been obsessed with demonic cultivation while with the Wen Sect. And so, he created that programme. Wen Chou, by extension, was just waiting for his chance to strike at me. Probably from the moment I cut him in the turtle cave he had wanted to have revenge on me." Putting a hand to his head, Wei Ying felt old and tired. "So, the Jin Clan is extorting these people? Wen Chou would also have known where any of the Wen Clan's secret cache were. All for the glory of the golden sect."

"Yup." Xue Yang nodded. "The only thing I don't get is how they pulled it off without a demonic practitioner. I didn't cast any hundred holes, I tell you straight up. There is also something bugging me. Jin Zixuan is the clan leader right now and he's got an heir. He's well respected. I don't think he knows his left from his right as far as the sect's dark side, that's all handled by Guangyao. But, if Jin Guangshan is behind this, he wouldn't target his firstborn, legitimate son. He'd stop at nothing to prevent that. So, I'm still not really sure about him getting almost masticated at the pass."

Shutting his eyes, Wei Ying wanted to slap him for that one. "Km." He adjusted his robes and took a breath. "So, in other words, we're missing one more link. Hmm, well! I guess we'll just have to ask Jin Guangshan directly!" He said, looking at Lan Zhan. "But before that, I will keep my promise. Xue Yang, you are certain you will do this? There is no turning back once you start."

He nodded, his eyes glittering.

Sighing, Wei Ying nodded and stood up. "First, you need to bathe. If you care at all about your clothing, change into some of those humble rags. Leave your hair loosened. You can bring a weapon but it's not necessary." He looked at Lan Zhan as his brows pinched. "I will only be a guide. It's entirely up to him."

Xue Yang came over wearing the plain, dull brown rice-farmers clothes. It made him look much less intimidating. He was very eager, though, and followed with a bounce in his step. "So do I get to call myself 'first disciple' now?" He asked, cheerfully. "Or maybe a 'legacy disciple'?"

"Hm." Wei Ying turned, glancing at him as they walked up the mountain, beyond the Demon Slaughtering Cave. "From here, prepare yourself. From here, it's not just some cute little village on black soil. So be warned."


	13. Burial Mound

Burial Mound, as so named, was really one large cemetery. There were no graves. It was a communal plot going back hundreds of years. The Wen clan had been unable to purify it after the resentment of the restless souls degraded the quality of the soil. That did not fully explain everything dwelling there. As time had passed, others had been added into the original inhabitants, from the mentally impaired to lovers committing suicide. Giant centipedes had made a nest there, eating the flesh of the rotting dead and leaving only bone powder behind. There was also the Roc, living at the top of one lonely spire where she kept a nest. Wei Ying had a mutually respectful relationship with the enormous reptilian bird but it was not his pet or familiar. Sometimes, if he slew a few centipedes, it would give him a ride. Recently, it had been in hibernation so he had not dared stray into that region, as when a Roc bird awoke from hibernation, it was bound it be intolerable hungry.

Luckily, he did not have to take Xue Yang that far. Beyond the Demon Slaughtering Cave, there was a narrow path between the walls of two low, broken off spires. The spires were juts of earth that had made a shape like unto waves, pure black in colour. Wei Ying had a suspicion on how they had assumed that shape but he dared not say so, even to himself.

Now, Xue Yang stopped and looked around, his brows pinched, his mouth puckered, and said it bluntly. "It looks like someone did something here so powerful, so awful, that it pushed the surface of the earth aside and the turmoil came back like waves." He looked over his shoulder. "So you're not the first. There is someone else, someone who taught you!"

Sighing, Wei Ying shook his head. He could not impress enough with his words. He also did not want him making too much noise, so he put a finger to his lips. "Be quiet. Be still. This is not a place for the living. If you must breathe, breathe without stirring the air. Every grain of sand we tread upon is aware of us. Every vapour passing on the current has a thousand eyes." He moved foreward cautiously. "This is not a place normally habitable by the living. So, you must die once. If you die once, you will be reborn once. I had already ripped my core out myself and I still went temporarily insane. For you, it will be many times as painful." He took a small stick from the ground, examining it before he put the tip into the soil and drew a circle. Back and forth, he drew the basic seal. Then he handed the twig to Xue Yang. "You fill in the blanks. However you like. Let intuition guide you. It is your seal and once you make it, it will be something bound to you forever."

Xue Yang took the stick and expertly added sigils and runes. He had a good mastery of the language, all right, making it exceedingly powerful. He looked over, frowning suspiciously. "That's it?" He asked, softly. "That's not it."

Shaking his head, Wei Ying looked around. "Xue Yang..." He said. "...what do you see when you look at me?"

"I see a thin man with an attractive face. You have an impish smile that seems to be stitched on. And you are clearly injured to your centre chest in a way that should have killed you." He pointed it out. "I can also see that there are more things here than at the base of the mountain. Vapours that have eyes...some kind of wraith or spirit. I can smell it." He pointed at the seal on the ground with the twig. "So, if I complete this, I will be able to see them clearly as you do. I will have the Mo Yin eyes."

"I was able to see and hear spirits from childhood so I am not certain to what extent you will be able to see them. That depends on your own characteristics, Xue Yang." Wei Ying replied, looking down. "But, I will say that all your senses will be expanded brutally. I know you mimicked me up to the point of the Stygian Tiger Seal. Your understanding of the language is already very good but did you think nothing of its form? Whatever Guangyao showed you was not accurate." He lifted his hands and allowed the seal to appear on them. "This is my seal. All of my being is made up of it because it is something that comes from that language, itself. The language passed from mother to child, inside the womb. You cannot copy this thing so stop trying. It's not necessary." He pointed to the ground. "Take out your seal. The seal you made. The first thing you need to do is acknowledge that thing as something you made. It's not mine. It won't ever be mine. Yes, that artefact you hold is like an egg. You created it but _what is it_? What do you want it to do? Control others? Kill people? Store information?" Wei Ying took out a small knife and drew a cut on his palm. "Regardless to Burial Mound, in spite of my existence, even if Jin Guangyao, or the entire world, screwed you over, you have to take responsibility from this point forward. If you want _that_ power, you need to make an opening. It's like being raped. It's like being eaten. Either you eat them or they will eat you, but even if you eat them, they will not die. They will crawl around inside your body forever." The black tendrils came out from inside his flesh and pulled at the edges of his skin. "That's what you would call demonic, isn't it?"

Xue Yang gulped. For the first time, a bead of sweat appeared on his brow and he looked at the seal in his hand. His nostrils flared. But he quelled the innate fear of death and pain and held out his hand for the knife.

Tossing it to him, Wei Ying walked a dozen paces away. "Etch the seal with your blood and sit in the centre. I will speak that 'language' to call them and then you must do the rest." He said, positioning his hands palm downward. "I call, I call, I call. Across ages. I, who am of that kind, offer up libation to the darkness. And with awareness seek power. All ye whom I worship, who worship me, who are all seeing; those who devour; those twixt time ad space, heaven and hell. I call, I call, I call." The earth was rippling and undulating, seething black air from the cracks breaking at his feet. The cracks formed another circle on their own, which filled in with the red that held in a continuously suspended state under the ground. It was not lava but something more akin to sap. "Take form. Be my arms, my hands, my eyes. I offer up this vessel and will bear all sins. Be my army, my soldiers, as am I'm yours."

Xue Yang's eyes were extremely big as the red and black hands came up out of the ground to fondle him, to pull and rip at his hair. Wei Ying did not acknowledge this, though. Even though they tore his skin open. Fully humanoid forms took shape, blinking intimidating eyes at them, only to vanish once again. Something, something hideously big, stirred under them but it only took a second's notice. Slowly, a few separated out and forced their way into Wei Ying's chest, opening up the wound a little, but then immediately sealing it. He looked up at this insolent person, glaring with his scarlet eyes. "Begin!" He commended, his voice like a clap of thunder, and Xue Yang flinched. He had already etched the seal with his blood and now looked at it. There were some at the edges already, investigating it and tasting his blood. Slowly, ignoring his sweat, he moved to the centre and sat lotus there. He looked to either side, watching ten, and they, in turn, watched him. He was just about nineteen and had the bravado of a grown man yet there were still doubts, uncertainties. As the black air enveloped him, every single one of them was exposed and forced out of him. His lips moved and he overcame these psychological attacks only to be face-to-face with something, something fully formed and realized, sitting there mimicking him. It flickered, as if it were a miraged generated by the black air but it was not. The cuts in his arms were no longer bleeding and he looked at them, at the fingers touching him. Icy, black, red, leaving kisses on his skin that bled. They seized him by his arms and legs, twisting them around so that his bones snapped. He gritted his teeth, trying vainly to ride it out, but this was impossible. Because it did not end there. He had made on opening and a thousand were clamouring at the door. More found their way in through his ears, rupturing them. Some flooded down his throat, choking him. He writhed around trying to fight them off and he did eat them. He chopped down on them, chewing on them, tearing off pieces. over and over until his spine broken and he could not longer move his arms or legs.

The golden core in his centre was in the way. It was preventing them from merging. Wei Ying watched all this for fifteen minutes before he moved. He was sick to his stomach and did not like to see someone tortured into insanity. Even if it was caused by their own stupidity. Clappig his hand he drew the attention to him. Some challenged him and he swept his hand out to the right, slicing horizontally. Some slithered around but he turned his eyes, smiling at them, and brought his left hand up, slicing vertically. He danced his way to edge of the seal, skipping steps, avoiding most of them. There, put his hands out, palms facing Xue Yang. "Conform," he said, his whisper echoing over the area as a low rumble. "Take shape. Bind, flesh to flesh, bone to bone." He shut his eyes, letting out a breath and taking another, and the world breathed with him, and therefore, Xue Yang breathed.

His fingers twitched.

His internal injuries were healing as the entities inside him burrowed. They left his core and found other parts to inhabit. Once they settled down, the rips in his flesh sealed and his skin became paler, almost white. He sat up, his hair tangled like a barbarian. He gasped and coughed, shuddering and holding his arms around himself, chewing on his lips. His eyes darted around. How much his senses had changed, Wei Ying could not know, but he did know that for now, Xue Yang was just dreading another onslaught. He chewed on his fingers, rocking back and forth like a lunatic. Not surprised, Wei Ying wondered if he would be able to get up. He had to get up and move on his own. Even if it hurt.

"Stand." Wei Ying said. He had to repeat it several times but slowly, Xue Yang got to his feet. He fumbled with his limbs a few times but managed to walk after that. The tears were pouring from his eyes but he managed to at least move. He was mute and still wide-eyed as they left the mountains. He now and then looked to either side, trembling incessantly, but he had recovered enough by the end of their walk to not look quite so terrified. The Demon Slaughtering Cave looked like a humble, cosy house now. He moved to drink water only to collapse on his knees, hugging his stomach. He wretched, moving his hands around as if trying to dig the sensation out. When he realised he could not do that, he collapsed onto his side dark smudges under his eyes. Taking a clean set of clothes out of a box, Wei Ying set them beside him with a rag to wash off his body. Then he turned, leaving the cave. The Demon Slaughtering Cave was named not because it harboured demons but because it allowed them to rest.

Letting out a sigh, Wei Ying lent on the wall that blocked off the cave from the village. Lan Zhan was waiting there, the light caught in his eyes. Seeing him there, waiting, was so moving. Wei Ying rushed to him and flung his arms around him. He buried his face in Lan Zhan's chest. Lan Zhan hugged him back, almost too tightly. Wei Ying knew he did not really like to kiss in front of others but he put that aside and caught his face.

"Wei Ying." Lan Zhan had a deep blush over his nose and cheeks when he managed to break free. "You have more cuts." His eyes turned to the blood on his sleeves.

Frowning, Wei Ying smiled at him and shrugged. Taking him by the hand, Wei Ying guided him to their private area. It was very simple but also rather opulent. The biggest thing there was a bed. Not because either of them were much into erotic play but because they were both men and needed the space. Nearby, there was a chair and a basin to wash from. It was fine for most days. There was a chest of drawers for spare linens and undergarments. A screen held a special array that cut most of the noise Wei Ying was always bombarded with. He sank into the chair and pulled off his boots, wanting to wash his feet first. His feet hurt. Lan Zhan had put Bichen and the guqin down, and knelt, washing his feet for him. He did not stop there, though, but tugged at his trousers until he obediently took them off. He was in just his thin undergarment, perched on the chair, as Lan Zhan drew the rag gentle over his skin. When he got to his back, Lan Zhan lifted his hair and bent, kissing his neck and placing a mild bit there. The scent of the sandalwood was pervasive and made him blush. "Oi, oi..." Turning to look up at him was the wrong move. His eyes were alight and Wei Ying felt his stomach drop: he was too handsome!

Getting up, letting the chair tip over, Wei Ying took hold of Lan Zhan's robes and drew them off of him, slowly, so that the scent rose into the air even more. Reaching up behind him he undid Lan Zhan's forehead ribbon. Even now, he still wore it every day outside their private quarters. Wei Ying had once mistakenly thought this forehead ribbon was a sign of the sect's arrogance. That they were too good to mix with others and showed it off on their faces. He had ascribed all kinds of impertinent meanings to it, simply because the extent to which they went to protect a single strip of cloth, baffled him. It was nothing like that. When he had fully comprehended the meaning, that it was about their feelings, feelings they were conditioned not to show even to their own family members, he had felt he was the caddish one. Now he took the precious silk ribbon and drew it to his lips, kissing it as if he was kissing the man himself, and Lan Zhan blushed again. No matter how many times it had been, he seemed to become the shyest whenever this ritual was gone through.

They were all caught up in each other from that point and did not take note of the wide world. So they were in some disarray and not a little groggy when someone clamoured at the door. It was Wen Qing and she was very upset, something Wei Ying had only seen in that other life, when she had spotted him on the road and called out for him to help her save her brother. He sat up but failed to move correctly. He tumbled out of the bed and onto the floor, wincing as his hips and back locked up. A hand was placed on his back, easing his muscle complaints with warm yang energy. Lan Zhan put his clothes on him first, then got dressed himself. Smiling, Wei Ying waited for him to be completely covered before he opened the door.

Wen Qing was standing there, her back to the door. She had one arm folded, one to her face. It was a picture of a strong woman in distress. When she turned, she ignored the state of things and rushed to him, taking hold of his sleeves, just as she had taken hold of his hem in that other time.

It made him feel panicked and he hastily took her hands. "What happened to Wen Ning?" He asked, causing her face to full crumple.

"He went out before that man came here." She replied, looking down. "He went to get rice with two others but he was approached as a gentleman cultivator, to help with a fierce corpse that was disturbing some people at the border of Yiling! Now, he has been taken away by a group of cultivators. They took him toward LanglinJin. The Jin clan has him, I know it!" She bit his lower lip. "Kongzhi, I...I was asked to betray you by some people from the LanglingJin when we were there at Carp City. To no longer use medical cultivation for the demonic practitioner. I thought it nonsense, this is an established sect now! Who would dare to say you contributed any less?! I should have thought more of the implications of the attack...that it was Ah-Ning who was targeted...!"

"It is not your fault!" Wei Ying assured her. "'They' were aiming for Wen Ning from the start. I will get your brother back, alive or dead. He _will_ see his child!" He made it a vow. "You need to prepare for the worst. Put everyone on alert. Get ready to treat wounded and even to fight if you have to. And Wen Qing!" He grabbed her chin. "If you even think about sacrificing yourself for me or for your brother, I'll drag you right back out of the fire and beat you senseless! Do you understand me?!

She gaped at him but then she swallowed and nodded once.

It was clear she would still do it if it came down to saving her brother, though.

Sighing, Wei Ying turned to Lan Zhan. He was waiting in the courtyard. "Wait a moment." He said and took a deep breath. Amplifying his voice, he projected is words over the whole of Burial Mound. "I, Wei Wuxian, Yiling Patriarch, hereby declare that there is an enemy of Burial Mound and of WeiYiling Sect. This enemy may be powerful, they may be wealthy, they may be cunning, I care not of what they are. I will make no promises to save one, but I will say that I will fight. People of WeiYiling take up arms. Arm yourselves. Every _living thing_ has the right to fight for its life. So fight bravely! Die trying!" He stopped there and put his face in Lan Zhan's chest as they mounted Bichen, hoping and praying that it would be fine. The rose into the air amid the sudden din of activity and the thunder of voices raised in unison.


	14. Chief Cultivator

The trip to Carp City this time way not the same. Before, it had been something personal. Even if a group offended him as Wei Wuxian, even if they targeted his son, that was only about him and his family. But now that it had come to kidnapping someone, that was another matter. Even he could not deny that it was to the point that someone had started a war.

Lan Zhan took out a small paper, white with dark blue swirls in the shape of an ornate cloud and meditated over it. He managed this while still controlling his sword, supporting another person, and carrying the heavy guqin on his back. They were not so high up that it could hinder their breath yet it took a constant and perfectly steady stream of yang energy into the sword to be able to fly. While it was seemingly trivial, it was these minute actions while in mid-air that showed off if a Cultivator's foundations were strong or weak. Wei Ying admired him as he watched the paper held between his articulated forefingers. It shivered and folded itself into the shape of a butterfly so that his fingers were pinching the space of the body and the wings flapped on either side of them. He then let it go and it descended rapidly to a lower elevation before it headed off to Gusu.

Wei Ying did not know quite what would happen if he did that. He was the master of his own Sect so calling for aid was not appropriate until after the official declaration. He doubted it would come to that. Nevertheless, if it was not 'calling for aid' but rather 'asking for help' then one or two people might come from Lotus Pier. Taking out the thin black paper with its intensely red seal he had created, he looked at it for a long time. They were halfway to LanlingJin before he made up his mind. While he did not know if his uncle would come, he wanted to warn him of the troubling times that had come upon them. He also wanted to believe in Fengmian, even if he got hurt.

"Lan Zhan." He said, softly, once the paper had departed. "I am not entirely clear about why they took Wen Ning. If it's just bait, then that's fine. But if it's just bait, his life is not guaranteed. I find it unlikely he was taken to Carp City but there is enough evidence now to ask Jin Guangshan directly what his motives are. As for 'why' the enemy did this..." He sighed heavily. "All of these things we've investigated point to one very troubling possibility and I'm afraid of that. If it comes to it, I will be the only one that can stop it." He nuzzled at his chest, breathing in his scent and hugging him tightly. His toes were perched on the blade so he could not scoot any closer and yet it still felt as if there was some crushing distance between them. "The rest, I will leave to you."

Lan Zhan's arm, hooked around his waist, tightened. "You will not walk that path alone." He said, softly.

Carp City was already in a state of hyperactivity when they arrived. Alighting on the ground at the main gates, Wei Ying frowned at the guards positioned everywhere. The entire city appeared to be on lockdown. Unless it was war-time, that was only done in the most extreme of emergencies. Someone in the main family was either dead, injured, or kidnapped. Casting his senses out in an area sweep, he could see a negative of the courtyard beyond the gates. People were running around in groups, restlessly, as guards sealed off every way in or out of the main residence.

"This is big." He said, lowering his head as he opened his eyes. The most likely scenario was that Jin Guangyao or his family had been targeted. Wei Ying did not believe there were any limitations to what that man would do if he found out someone had hurt his wife and child and locking down the entire city felt like his style.

They moved to the gates abreast and were stopped but Wei Ying tore the protective array off with his hands, his nails long and claw-like. The guards positioned there gulped reflexively and backed up as he walked forward. He did not bother to speak to them. They were no match for him and they knew it, so if he was not after them, they decided to just be thankful for that.

The main courtyard held three important people. Guangyao was standing next to, of all people, Madam Yu. He was speaking to her earnestly. He had a bruise on his face and his hand was bleeding freely but he ignored this obvious sign of the Madam's ill-temper.

She was facing him with much hostility. Even if she was old enough to be his mother she was many times as strong. Her body was still firm and she stood there with her spine straight, hair up, dressed for battle. Even more, she had Zidian in hand, purple lightning playing along its surface.

Behind her, Jiang Cheng was standing with his face like a clouded wraith. He was cradling his sword in his arms rather than wear it respectfully at his hip, implying he was ready to draw it even against Jin Guangyao.

"Cheng!" Wei Ying called out and of course, they all turned to look at him. He dodged the arc of Zidian easily as it came toward him. He was too used to that and it did disappoint him, even if he was not surprised.

The look Madam Yu gave him was even worse than what she had been giving Jin Guangyao.

Cheng's expression was less openly hostile. He glanced around, his brows pinching and moved to stand at the middle distance between them. "What are you doing here?!" He demanded in his short, brisk manner. "We didn't send you any summons."

Wei Ying felt he needed it and slapped him. "I'm here because 'someone' kidnapped Wen Ning." He said, flatly. "I know who it is but I don't know where they are. Why are _you_ here? The only reason you would come here is Yanli!" He grabbed Cheng by the shirt front. "Did something happen to Yanli?!"

Cheng gritted his teeth at this abuse but his eyes betrayed him. "She's gone." He said, pulling himself free. "A maid planted here by mother got word to us before she was locked up! We only just got here and this fellow!" He turned to Guangyao harshly. "Is saying some bullshit about us not participating in the investigation!"

Turning his eyes to Guangyao, Wei Ying thought that over. There was no reason for this man to antagonise Lotus Pier. If anything, it made total sense of mother and brother to help aid in any endeavours to get the Jin Princess back safely. Yet he was here, even sustaining a physical injure, to argue with them. Swallowing, Wei Ying drew himself up, taking a long slow breath. If 'they' had taken Yanli, there was a good chance there was a threat against his wife and son. To Guangyao, it would not matter if it was anyone else in the world. He could easily walk over the corpses of others to protect the few he valued. Wei Ying did not fault him for that, since he was the same. "Start talking." Wei Ying said, folding his arms. "Guangyao, you know, there are times when you have to ask for help. At this point, I think it's obvious who is to blame, at least partially. I am here for that reason. Whether I go with you or I go over you doesn't really matter to me."

Jin Guangyao was looking at him sideways. He was shaking somewhat badly from the stress but had at least stemmed the flow of blood from his hand. A few aids were at his side. His eyes wavered as he rapidly ran through his choices. Slowly, he sucked his lip in and looked at the pavement. He swallowed. "If you," He said, in barely more than a whisper. "If you can assure the lives of my wife and my son and my younger brother," He looked up sharply.

"Done." Wei Ying replied, firmly.

Jin Guangyao took a deep breath, turning to the nervous aids. There were tears in his eyes and his hands took hold of his sleeves. "The Chief Cultivator is in the Peony Hall." He said, his voice flat and hollow. "As for sister-in-law and your man, I am unaware of their whereabouts. I can make an educated guess. There is only one place." He looked at his hands. "Mengjue-gege was the one in charge of monitoring that place after all."

Moving past him, Wei Ying moved to the Peony Hall by instinct. It was a place with red pillars draped in golden silk panels. Giant incense burners were sending out large amounts of a soothing incense. In the very middle of the pavilion, there was a raised sitting area with gold and red pillows set up. In the centre, Jin Guangshan was sitting on a large cushion. Pretty girls were serving drinks around him but he did not seem to be taking much interest in them. In his arms, Jin Song was playing with a pretty toy. The child was as oblivious as always and happy with the toy.

Qin Su was sitting beside him nervously. She was smiling but she was also looking around for any opportunity to grab her son and run. When people came in she looked over, sharply, running her eyes over all of them. madam Yu, Jiang Cheng, even Lan Zhan, she took her measure of all of them. But she did not rely on them. Wei Ying felt her eyes strike his. The communication hit him like a bolt of lightning and he could feel the weight of a child in his arms and that overwhelming desire to protect rose in him.

Even without thinking about it, he moved to get the child first. Jin Guangshan looked up with a perturbed expression. Something bratty and irritated. The maids dropped what they were holding and drew swords from under their dresses, coming to his defence in a way that meant they cared nothing for their own lives. Lan Zhan and Cheng dealt with then as cleanly and uniformly as possible. Madam Yu moved like a dancer across the open space, arriving at Qin Su's side. Wei Ying let the black tendrils coil around Jin Guangshan, keeping him from continuing to hold the child. A-Song was surprised by these threads and tried grabbing them in his hands. His innocence in the face of such violence touched everyone's hearts and put a stop to any further actions from Cheng and Madam Yu. The girls that were still alive had stopped like puppets once Jin Guangshan had been bound.

Picking A-Song up, smiling at him, Wei Ying let him examine some of the Yin energy as he turned to Guangyao. The boy was fascinated for all of one minute and then lost interest. He went back to playing with his toy. Guangyao held him close and then turned to his wife, who had made it across the open space with Madam Yu sheltering her back. Without looking at his father, he moved them to the door and shoved them into the hall, keeping himself between them and everyone present.

"Why can't I hold my grandchild?" Jin Guangshan asked, in a whining voice. "I only wanted to hold him for a while. I suppose something bad happened. But as long as little A-Ling and little A-Song are not hurt, it's fine, right?" He smiled a very horrible smile. It was both entirely innocent and also extremely evil. "Wei Wuxian, it's naughty of you to act like this, isn't it? Even tying me up! What have I done to offend you? It's not like anything I do pertains to you personally, does it?"

"You!" Cheng was red in the face.

Madam Yu's aura spilt out and purple sparks snapped in the air around her.

Lan Zhan, however, had pulled up his sword and was giving the Chief Cultivator a wary look. It was apparent that he was dumbfounded. Slowly, he wiped his blade clean and put it back in the scabbard. He lifted a hand, holding it palm outward toward Jin Guangshan. "There is no resentment," He commented. "He is not possessed or cursed."

"What does it matter if he is or not?" Madam Yu demanded. "This vile man. How can he belittle Yanli's kidnapping! So if A-Ling is fine it doesn't matter who else gets hurt?! Is that it?!"

Jin Guangshan turned to look at her, blinking slowly. He smiled at her, shyly, as if he found her very beautiful. He even blushed. His eyes moved to the girls' bodies but it did not seem to upset him. He sighed wistfully. "Guangyao?" He asked, looking around at the group. "Guangyao, come here. We have guests. There aren't enough seats, you are slacking!" He frowned and pouted. "Yanli? Yanli...ah, so, so, little Yanli. Daughter is good. Very pretty, Zixian picked a good one." He said it like that, full of satisfaction. "Wei Wuxian? I am tied up."

Looking at Jin Guangshan, Wei Ying smiled. Squatting down, so that they were eye to eye, he put a hand on the man's shoulder and untied him gently. "Jin Guangshan, I am sorry for that just now. There was a scary thing that happened so we wanted to make sure all was well here. And little A-song needs to go for his nap, you see? So he can grow up healthy."

Guangshan turned his head, eyeing him for a long minute. Then he smiled that horrible smile again and nodded. "Yes!" he agreed with some warmth. "But you know, Wei Wuxian, it's dreadful business before. You're not going to be mean to us anymore, right? It's all in the past anyway. So much nicer to listen to music and watch pretty girls. That is the best way. Just leave the unpleasant things up to others, then you can eventually get the best bit for yourself. Guangyao understands this well. The boy grew up in a brothel, you see, so he learned the ways of the world early. Hm, too bad, too bad. But he's pretty so that's fine." He shrugged, turning and picking up his cup with that smile still on his face.

Nodding, Wei Ying bit his lips before speaking again. "You don't have to be on guard. I'm not going to 'hurt' you. I just want you to promise not to do that again. You scared everyone and that's not very nice. It is in the past, as you said. It should all remain there. Your children are here. Your grandchildren are here. Look," He glanced toward Mo Xuanyu, who was hiding behind a pillar and watching everything with very big eyes. He was dressed in the fluffy dresses of a noblewoman and had a perfectly painted face. "He's scared because you did something so unusual! Wen Chou is at Nightless City, yes?"

He had a slightly confused expression. His brows pinched. Slowly, he tipped his head and affected a confused expression. "Yes?" He asked. "Is that right? The Wen boy? I...I guess so." He dismissed it with a little shrug. He looked over at the pillar and squinted to see the person clearly. "Xuanyu? Good child, bring your father some wine, yes?" Xuanyu immediately came out carrying a tray with a bottle on it and knelt beside the Chief Cultivator with a tender expression. A small clump of black was perched on his shoulder. It delighted his father who had to see it closer, as if it were a marvellous new toy. "You've gotten so good at this! You stay here with me and show me what it can do now! Guangyao will take care of the guests." He gestured everything else away with an absent-minded hand.

Backing away, Wei Ying nodded. He did not need to see or hear anymore. No one else did, either. They all retreated to the hall where Guangyao was standing before Qin Su, facing them with his chin level and his expression guarded.

"How long has he been like that?" Cheng asked, respectfully.

"Most of the year." Guangyao put in, very quietly. "It was not constant at first. But in the last month had degenerated quickly. He contracted a venereal disease and it affected his mind." He was very clear about what it was. "That and the rest are separate matters. What he did in the past, I will not defend. Nor what I knew of it." He shook his head when Qin Su started and gave him a worried look. "You attend to A-song!"

Madam Yu sighed and rubbed her face. "We still don't know who took Yanli or where they are or what they want!" She snapped, letting out a sigh. "You know about this, I take it. You have an 'educated guess'. What does that have to do with your father or Mengjue, whom you mentioned. I heard that Nie Mengjue died from Qi Deviation recently but that's not unusual in his clan, is it? So why bring him up?!"

Sighing as well, Wei Ying folded his arms. "I know..."

"You?!" Madam Yu rounded on him. "You are a demonic cultivator! You turned your back on your filial piety and walk the darkened path! Even dragging others into the darkness with you! You have no right to speak!" She glared at him angrily. "You are even worse than this man or that fool!" She gestured toward the pavilion to indicate Guangshan.

Guangyao frowned, looking at her for a moment. "Power is neither good nor evil, Madam Yu. How you use it is the important thing. I have abused power, so I know. I know what evil tastes like. I would not trust the lives of my wife and children to anyone that I could not trust. Wei Wuxian is absurd and reckless but not evil. The proof of this is that he is here." He lifted a staying hand. "I am at my wits end!" He snapped, his eyes blazing. "Does it matter who tells you?! If it will bring your daughter make an hour sooner do you care who takes the credit?!"

Madam Yu actually gave a rare, shocked expression. Slowly, she took a deep breath and controlled herself. "Then enlighten me." She said although it was clearly all she could do to contain herself.

Nodding, Wei Ying let out a sigh. "Jin Guangshan had dabbled in demonic cultivation, by proxy, with some intention. I think I know what. Extending one's life span or curing some illness are the usual goals. It's the last, untread path so it must be able to give one answers no one else can. But that's is folly. If Yang can't do it, neither can't yin. Under all but the most divine or the most horrible conditions, that is." He lifted a hand. "And that's where all this begins and ends."

Madam Yu frowned, looking at the floor for a moment. "Immortality?" She questioned. "As this leads to Yanli being taken?"

"Yes." Wei Ying nodded. "It's not Guangshan. He honestly doesn't know about these details. He believes that his son is filial and created a programme to train some demonic cultivators. If they managed anything, that would be good for the clan and the sect. Guangyao was in charge of that, you see. Then, there is Xue Yang. His potential was too big and he could not be held down by the factions within the Jin Clan. His movements in all of this were based on two things. The first is that he became obsessed with The Path in a completely different way from Jin Guangshan. The second is self-preservation. Xue Yang's sense of self is much higher than other people's and he sensed the danger coming at him. So he left. But he left in the most advantageous way possible." He lifted a finger. "First, he went to Huaisang and gathered information. Then, he went to the one place no one else would go."

"Burial Mound," Guangyao said, nodding. "Thus, even I could not find him."

"Precisely. Xue Yang is a cold-blooded killer but he's not stupid." Wei Ying turned his eyes to Madam Yu. "I was prepared for Wen Ning but not Yanli. For that, I am sorry." He bowed to her, formally, with his hands together.

She shifted and let out a sigh. Her anger had faded and she now looked scared. "Who is it?"

Slowly, Jin Guangyao drew up from his slightly stooped position. His eyes were moving over the scene quickly. His brows twitched. "Wen...Chou." He said, softly. "It was Wen Chou."

"I killed Wen Chou!" Madam Yu put in sharply, tears brimming on her lashes. "He raped countless women so I beat him to death! He was castrated and torn into pieces! He died of blood loss!" She hit the wall next to her, leaving a smudge on it. "Are you suggesting that he could survive in that condition?!"

"Yes." Wei Ying nodded. "If Jin Guangshan was the one to help him, then he could technically still be alive. Just as Jin Zixian is alive. His life since then must have been hell, I'll grant you. But think about it? Jin Guangshan's actions were selfish but who's evil are we stepping it? Whether it is Yanli or Wen Ning or A-Yaun, they all have one thing in common. This was pointed out to me recently. That it's not always about hate." He lowered his eyes, his hands gripped tightly. "There is another 'pair' involved in this. One that I tore apart back then."

Cheng was working it out and he stepped forward. "Then what about Shidi?!" He demanded, hotly. "Why would Wen Chou kidnap her?! He's not a 'man', right?!" He sounded slightly desperate about that. "Will they kill her?!"

Madam Yu was also thinking about this, her brows pinched. "He has no other purpose but to make us suffer!" She said, licking her lips. "I will kill him a second time! This time I will make sure of him!"

"It is possible there is a more profound reason." Lan Zhan said, quietly and respectfully. "Or else for this man, it would be much easier to kill her by assassination."

Guangyao nodded. "Since they could take her away, they could definitely accomplish this. As for locking the city down, that was to prevent word getting out. Madam Yu," He turned to her. "I chose my words poorly and I apologise for that. I did not intend to hold you back. I intended that, if we rush out and alert the wrong people, we will never find her."

"But you said you know it's Nightless City." Qin Su put in, observantly. "Dear, why could Wen Chou or any Wen go to Nightless City?"

"For that, I need to talk to Zixian!" Wei Ying said, turning to the building.

The confinement was not that bad. Jin Zixian was locked up in his personal residence with several maids and his son. He was sitting there, holding the child with a wan, haunted expression. When the doors were forced in, he looked up in astonishment. "You!" He stood up, supporting his son easily. He set the boy down and a maid hastily took him into another room.

"My father..." He looked down, his washed-out expression clearly because he knew the truth. "...it was my father, wasn't it?! It is because he's sick. When I heard of all this from A-Yao, I was confounded. But then I realised what you did was impossible. My life was saved at the expense of others! They were already dead so I will live on. I promised Yanli I would live with her and die with her! But now, Yanli is not here. I don't..." He looked genuinely lost, tears running down his cheeks. "I don't understand! Why her and not me?!"

"Is Yanli pregnant?" Wei Ying asked, his hands knotted at his sides. "She is, isn't she?!"

Zixian looked up with a slightly surprised expression. "She told me just two days ago!" He said, some colour returning to his face. "How is it that _you_ know this?"

Sighing, Wei Ying stumbled back and turned to lean on Lan Zhan. "They aren't after Yanli." He said, feeling slightly sick. "They intend to use that baby. Just as I used Jin Zixun. If it succeeds," He shook his head. "I honestly don't know but very likely, Yanli would be fine but her child would..."

Madam Yu stared at him, in shock and alarm. "Yanli is a strong girl but she will not take that." She said, plainly. "This man...he dares harm an unborn child?! Is there no low to which he will not stoop?! Why would he do this? Because we tore him apart?!"

"No." Lan Zhan was just holding him, ignoring what anyone thought of it. "Likely, it is the other." He looked over, ever calm and aloof. "Wen Chou was saved by Zhuliu. Zhuliu's sacrifice is well known. Therefore, Wei Ying did not harm him, who was the son of Wen Ruhou. That duty was left to you." He nodded to Madam Yu. "Wen Chou did not die. If he had died, then perhaps Zhuliu would have left this world. These two have a fate bound together. Neither can depart. Neither can remain." He looked down and let out a rare sigh. "This is the consequence that has been earned."

Shutting his eyes, tightly, Wei Ying did not dare to look up at him. He knew he would see only love and acceptance in those eyes but he felt guilty so he could not look up. "I have no respect for Wen Chou but Zhuliu..." He frowned, turning to Madam Yu and facing her, as he could not face Lan Zhan. "...I will deal with this matter. The array, whatever it is, I will break it. At that time, you must be able to strike. This time, for Yanli, will you fight with me?!"

She shifted again, looking over the others present. Her eyes fell on Cheng. Slowly, she shut her eyes and searched her soul. "I will never condone the demonic path." She said. "But, for my daughter, there is no much I would not do. I know. I know what your feelings toward Yanli are." She opened her eyes, giving him a fair gaze for the first time in years. "I will fight with you."

Dropping to his knees, Wei Ying bowed to her formally. As he had not done since he was eleven or twelve. He could not even remember the last time he had felt respect toward this woman.

"In that case," Guangyao said, with a sigh. "I will remain here. My place this time is not in Nightless City. Zixian, you go and get your wife." He said, giving his brother a look. "I will hold things here and maintain the façade." He looked them over with a slight frown. "Wen Chou, yes, I see how that fell. But even with all the resources of the Jin Clan, there are still too many holes. There is another person involved in this. Someone I know was conspicuously close to my father back then. That person is likely the one involved in Mengjue's case." He looked at the side then turned to his wife, who had accompanied them this far. "Qin Su," he said, addressing her by name. "You have good intuition. Although A-Song needs you, would you do me the honour of accompanying me?"

She smiled and nodded. "The children will be fine here together." She said. "And, I am my father's daughter, my lord." She looked over the room. "Let them know I, Qin Su, am not to be so easily disregarded."

They all admired her and put their hands together, bowing to her. She was not like Madam Yu, after all. She was just a weak woman. Her knees were still shaking from the ordeal she had just passed. Yet Wei Ying suspected that he knew why she had been scared. It had nothing to do with injury or death. It was that she had been alone. Even if it was to face the worst outcome, being together with her lover, with her son, was still not as scary as going into the dark alone.

Smiling, taking courage from that resolution, Wei Ying faced Lan Zhan. "I am going." He said.

"Then I will go with you." Lan Zhan replied.


End file.
